Ramblings & Missing Christi

On the day that Cedar Point closes for the season, I feel I must post a couple pictures of Christi at CP as a little tyke. My how she loved that amusement park!!


(Photo: 2000 CT 3, Shay 1 - Going with grandma Nonee to a pumpkin patch. Even though the girls don't look like they're having a grand time, they really did! Recently, mom took Shayla back to the same place where we used to go each year. My stomach just turned when I saw the pictures. It made me so sad my mom could only take one granddaughter.)


Last night just as the OSU game started, Shayne challenged Shayla to a "Battleship" game; that made watching the football game much more tolerable for sweet Shayla. When Penn State immediately scored a touch down I said to Shayne, "I'm willing to bet I still have Sylvia's cell phone number in my phone. I'm going to call her and tell her to stop that nonsense." It worked! Little did I know that they weren't outside of the game or at a restaurant somewhere, they were IN the stadium. I couldn't hear her, but soon received a text message photo from her and we had to pick our chins up off of the floor to realize they were IN the midst of it all! Unfortunately, we were too tired to stay awake so we went to bed after half time and I assume OSU won the game, but now I'm going to have to do a little search and find out the score. We will be "back in the shoe" next Saturday; I must admit it's been really fun having my student tickets this fall! (Maybe Shayne will pay for me to be a full time student next year too, cough, cough! I know, I know. At this time next year I better have passed my candidacy exams and be working on my dissertation!) And to the sweet "blogger" who told us no offense to OSU or Penn State, but LSU is where the real tailgate parties are, don't invite us - we just may take you up on it! (Smile.)


Today, just really missing Christi!!! Perhaps it is that trick or treating is this week, or also that it will soon be "All Souls Day" a day to pray for the souls of deceased loved ones. I don't know. After church we went to visit with my grandma Falter. Shayne kept asking great questions getting grandma to really open up about their farm, their horses and the one room school house she went to in Reedtown. It was wonderful; I just kept thinking Christi would have also been "all ears" just as she would have been excited to see her sweet friend in church.

(PHOTO: Jan. 2004: Christi & Buttercup. Buttercup continues to thrive; what I wouldn't do to trade her in for Christi, smile!!) We have always teased the girls that we do not like their cats. During the days of Christi's funeral, Shayne and I kept trying to lighten the mood and we were saying things such as, "Didn't the Egyptians bury their cats with the kings?" They haven't closed Christi's coffin lid yet, there's still time!

There are two big things I continue to dread. One will take place in June, when Shayla will be older than Christi ever was and the other is picking out her plaque for the cemetery - something I've been putting off for so long. Today I came across this sweet email from a "Christi Supporter" I do not know. Last year I was considering a collage of some sort with lots of "stuff" and now I'm leaning toward something classic and simple, maybe just one picture of her and one short quote. Regardless, I found this sweet lady's work extremely touching and extremely kind! I am reminded how Christi's life touched others' lives too. She wrote:


I remember reading that you might have wanted some things to put on her plaque, and while this might be too long, I wrote this poem for Christi and wanted to send it to you. She was so wonderful, and this poem can't even begin to describe how amazing she was.

She was born on the 12th of May in '97
And now, 9 years later, she's resting in Heaven.
She always touched hearts since the day of her birth
And she still will be doing so, though she's not here on Earth.

Now that she's gone, there are signs everywhere
Like the sun in the sky, or a breeze in the air.
Whenever you're sad, you can look up above
and know Christi's with God, looking down with such love.

While it's hard to say goodbye to her angelic face
We can always be sure she's in a better place.
Though we can't comprehend it, it will always be clear
God only takes the ones that He loves so dear.

Christine Shayna Thomas
May 12th, 1997 - September 19th, 2006

I hope that you like it.
Lauren