Mary's Kelsey

HaPpY Birthday beautiful niece Kelsey 🎂🎉🎈❤️🦋 

I'm so proud of the beautiful young lady you have become.  

23 😮.... How did that happen??

Cardinal in the Night

Niece Kelsey sent me this picture of her February 17th inspiration ❤️ A Cardinal in the Night.....a bird that holds special meaning to me as a reminder of God's presence, protection and steadfast love....

Kelsey

What a beautiful young lady my niece Kelsey has become.... inside and out.  I'm so proud of her.  💗 She's growing up so fast.
#maryslegacy #myneice #kelsey #lovingmaryforever #Texasbeauty #MastersGrad2018 #TAMU #TexasAandMGalveston

Niece Inspiration

Niece Kelsey sent me this picture of her February 17th inspiration ❤️ 

A Cardinal in the Night.....a bird that holds special meaning to me as a reminder of God's presence, protection and steadfast love....

Valentine Synchronicity

We have the sweetest niece ever..... Every year Kelsey reminds us on Valentine's day how much she loves us ❤️🌸💋.... So #Blessed !  We received this the day I mailed hers.  

She doesn't know this yet, but I bought her the exact same Valentine card! ❤️ We are definitely connected.  Why do I think her mom had something to do with this fun little #Synchronicity!?! #Lovefromabove

7:23 Kelsey and Me

 

Fun Synch:  

Kelsey and I both caught her favorite # 7:23 on the same day.  Love how my niece and I are so connected like her mom and I were (still are).  twin souls......

 

 (both of our phone shots)

A Pendant of Hope from Mary

Isn't is a fun little wonder when something crosses your path and you immediately felt it was meant to be.  I call this a synchronicity.

Through social media (Instagram),  I came across this lil jewelry maker from Austin, Texas just a couple weeks before the anniversary of my Mary's passing... the name of the company was "Bee Mary" Jewelry and the item that caught my eye was a pretty pendant with the word HOPE on it.

I felt a strong attraction to this lil pendant of hope.  I reached out & before I knew it I bought it.   I first thought it was for me but almost immediately, i felt a soft nudge that said "No, this is for Kelsey!" -  Mary's daughter.  She was having some tough times in her first year in college at this moment and needed a lil hope.  Coincidentally,  this one of kind pendant happened to be Kelsey's two favorite colors:  purple and pink.  It was meant to be.

I reached out to the owner of  and asked her the meaning behind "Bee Mary"... the owner confirmed what I knew in my heart.....

 

I truly believe Mary guided me to this gift and had me buy it for her daughter.  

A Gift from Above.

Funny Feathertime

Just had to share this fun little text and picture I received from Kelsey ~ right after I had text her.

Angel winks for Kelsey too.

Kelsey's Sign

 

Comfort from above for niece Kelsey .....

Feeling a bit overwhelmed with balancing her college work & a new part time job she loved, she decided to go for run down by the water and say some prayers. Just as she opened her eyes, she caught this little white feather floating by her side. She instantly felt joy and comfort and somehow knew everything was going to be okay.

What a gift! 💫!

Happy Birthday Mary

We will always celebrate your Birthday Mary - you live in our hearts and are attached to my soul!  
I feel your spirit everywhere and love all the signs..... thank you sweet sis!
Here are a few things we did to honor you this year:

Made mini cupcakes of your favorite cake & frosting:  vanilla with chocolate - mmmm

I found something special this year as I was buying the decorative treats.  As soon as I saw these lil bubble gum machine candies to top off the cake I knew I had to get them... they reminded me of this fun picture I took of you & David in the Galleria mall in Houston in front of the giant gumball machine.  We even had this picture framed for dad! It was just like you:  colorful, fun and sweet!  he-he

Memories to Cherish!

I found our favorite soda with your name on it in Target - on your B-day of course!

It was throw back Thursday on FB #TBT and when I used my timehop app to find the picture posted on this day a year ago... this is what came up :) ~ me & you sis back in 1995 celebrating our B-day week together.  LOVE this picture of us. 

Then I posted my Mary poem I wrote to you a few years ago:

MARY POEM:

I know your out there Mary

In the world we don't know

Giving me signs

Telling me you love me so

Not to worry

Not to be sad

Your in bliss - pure happiness

Staying close

To the ones who miss you

Showering us with your love

Making sure we know!

Your magnificent energy

Has touched many more souls!

Just like when you were alive

You continue to amaze me with

Your brilliance! Your pure love! Your radiant smile still shines from the sky!

Thank you precious Mary - my angel up high for touching so many lives!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS! 

I will always celebrate my Mary's Birthday. 

Celebrating your life ~ precious it was so full of love !

To top the day off, Kelsey sent me this picture showing me that she was honoring her mom's Bday by wearing her James Avery Mother ring and sand dollar bracelet.   

College Bound Kelsey

I can't believe it... Kelsey is going off to college soon! She had a blast at the 2 day orientations.....I am so very proud of her.  We all are - I know her mom will be with her always wherever she is.   Kelsey connects her mom with the beach and going to college where the beach surrounds her brings comfort to her soul.

Creative Kelsey

Kelsey and her lil pugs...

Sweet funny cute creative Kelsey!

Had to post these here.  A place we cherish memories - and these creative little pieces are cherish-able!

Mary Bear for Kelsey

So happy this bear came out so perfect from my sisters sweater ~

a very special gift for her Kelsey's graduation and 18th Bday!

...... tears of joy- then she said:

 "I LOVE this bear so much!  I can't wait to sleep with it every night!"

 A special message of love from her mommy above:

Dear Kelsey,

A small bear made from my sweater

To remind you of me,

I am with you always

Though you may not  see

The twinkle in my eye

As I watch you from above

I am proud of all you are doing

And I hope that you know

My love for you continues to grow.

Love, Mom

July 31, 1972 - March 22, 2008

Bear made with LOVE by www.carriebears.com

Kelsey 2014

What a senior year Kelsey has had! God has blessed her with so many extra special moments.

PROM NIGHT - May 17th,  Kelsey and her boyfriend were crowned Prom Queen and King.

May 18th, they went to a reception for Kelsey & some other students who were receiving the JOY&HOPE Scholarship. This scholarship is given to students who have lost a parent or sibling and submitted an essay on how they help others now because of their loss. Kelsey applied for this in April with a beautifully written essay.

I was talking to my niece Kelsey the other night, telling her how proud I am (we all are) of all that she is and how she has turned adversity into lessons and love.
She said to me:

"I find it helps when I turn it all over to God and let him have all my worries and pains!  I leave the past behind and the future in the future...... It's so much better when I live in the moment ."

OMG - you can imagine how my heart leaped for joy!  I know her mom was in heaven doing twirls of joy.  Her little girl is making her so proud!

Then, May 30th she will graduate on her 18th Birthday!  We will all be there with LOVE!

Lightly White Christmas

We prayed for snow while the kids were here in NY for Christmas... Christmas Eve we got a few flakes :)!   We were happy for that.... this picture is so beautiful of Kelsey ~ I can feel her mom's spirit in it!

For some reason this poem I found on FB seemed to fit for this blog post in perfect timing - Kelsey has been missing her mom so much!  I feel like Mary has nudged me to post this for her xoxo.

A Christmas Story - full Circle

This "Mothers Love" ring by James Avery was given to me for Christmas from Kelsey and Brett.  It is one of the greatest gifts I've ever received, but it wasn't just the gift itself,  it's the words they wrote in the card, the meaning behind the ring and then the magic that happened when I posted a picture of it on facebook.

Jeni, Mary, Chistie, Kelsey 

 

It's an amazing story... a full circle with this ring.  It goes something like this:  The kids gave it to me,  I posted a picture of it on facebook and then Mary's friend Christie saw it and emailed me a copy of her wearing the exact same ring - she said Mary had given it to her when she had visited with her  just months before she passed away, Mary had told her it was a special ring and it was for great moms. Christie said she felt like Kelsey should have the ring that once belonged to her mom. She mailed it to her immediately, along with some pictures and a little memorabilia work out watch Mary used when she coached Christie.

So now Kelsey and I share this "Mother's Love" ring ~ another James Avery connection we both have with her mom!  Just beautiful ~ magical!

Well.... there's actually another lil sparkle to this story:  the ring Mary had and gave to Christie was actually given to Mary by her BFF since Jr. High, Kerri!  We know this because of the engraving inside the ring which read: ."Luv Ker BFF"
Just wait until Kerri finds out what this beautiful gift she gave to Mary years ago and how it has brought such magic to our Christmas this year!  

I will cherish the words Brett & Kelsey wrote in this card like a treasure:

I'm so grateful for so much love and so many connections to Mary I have in my life.  It is such a blessing to be so connected.  True gifts in my life!  Thank you Christie AND Kerri for your love and memories of our Mary!

Kelsey - Homecoming 2013

Mary would be so proud..... her lil angel got elected to be on the Homecoming court!

 Kelsey sparkled so beautifully dressed in pink. 

This picture reminded me of her mom in my dream back in 2008.

The dream I'll never forget as long as I live. 

Mary was so beautiful in this dream - just as Kelsey is here.

 

The next night was the Homecoming dance...

I just love her choice of color and style here in the green! 

Kelsey is a true gem that sparkles with pure love!

Kelsey - "I'll Be Missing You"

Last night my sweet Kelsey called me - she was so excited - she's been talking about her mom so much lately - (it tugs at my heart how much she misses her & needs her).

She said she was at Sonic (fast food joint in Texas) with a few friends & was already thinking of her mom because sonic was a place they frequented for the slushees - then all of a sudden the song "I'll be Missing You" started playing.  She was listening to a radio station based out of the town next to where she lived & where she spent a lot of time with her mom (Nederland) because her mom taught high school & coached there......

The song was the song played at her moms funeral, "I'll Be Missing You" by P. Diddy.

She was so excited because she felt her mom's presence with her!  S

Birthday Love

My dear Kelsey - keeping her mommy's memory alive!  The two of us attached by an invisible string of love. When you truly love someone with all your heart,  they never leave you, no matter how far apart.....

Kelsey sent me this beautiful picture for my Birthday this year.  A nostalgic picture of Mary and me on Mary's wedding day 12-31-94.  What a perfect picture frame for a perfect day with my angel, my sister, my MARY!

Everything Kelsey does seems to have Mary's touch in it..... even the card she picked out was perfect with what has been going on this year with all the feathers.  When I spoke to Kelsey thanking her for the beautiful gift she said she didn't even realize at the time that the card had a feather on it.

She filled the Birthday card with old pictures - memories - pictures I had sent to her mom or had taken of her mom when we were together.  Here are a few - she chose some fun ones to give back.  Mary and I at her bachelorette party, Mary in her roller blades, Chad  being silly at Fajita Flats....

This blog post is true to the title of this blog... keeping our Memories to Cherish!  

Thank you Kelsey for being you ~ I love you!

Visiting Mary - Loving Mary Forever

I was able to visit my Mary July 25th when we drove to Beaumont to pick up the kiddos for our brother's wedding.  I didn't realize how emotional I would get driving there.  The tears started pouring as I got closer to town - the reality that my sister is not physically with us really sank in.  I miss her everyday, but on this day, my heart ached from the desire to feel her hug and hear her loving voice.
I didn't bring anything to put by her headstone, I was hoping to find something special on the way.  It wasn't looking to hopeful as we got closer to the place and then out of nowhere I saw that beautiful red stone cardinal out of the corner of my eye outside a garden shop on the way to the cemetery..... i made a u-turn and bought it without hesitation - it was meant to be!
There were dragonflies and butterflies all around and then i spotted a cardinal flying into the tree behind me! I felt my Mary - she was with me!