Tia Sandy
Note from Ryan:
Hi there, the newsletter today is a personal one. Six years ago last week, my Tia Sandy passed away unexpectedly coming home to San Angelo after traveling to see her son propose to his girlfriend in Dallas over Labor Day weekend in 2016.
She was funny, witty, and smart. She raised two incredible kids, and she was always helping others.
For the past week, I’ve tried to honor her by writing about her. It just has been too hard. As most know, I was in my own serious car accident in May. I should not be alive. So with that, I’m still working through that.
However my oldest sister came to my rescue. She’s allowed me to republish her blog post that she wrote in the days after my Tia’s death in September 2016.
She has her doctorate in education from Hardin Simmons in Abilene, Texas, but more importantly, she’s a mom to six beautiful children.
She’s currently an adjunct instructor at Angelo State University and a much better writer than me.
Tia Sandy, I miss you every day. Can’t wait until we will be reunited one day.
Hallelujah. God is Good.
This was originally published on September 13, 2016.
I think I will forever hear my mom’s words echo through the phone…”We have bad news. Tia Sandy was killed in a car crash.”
I’ll remember trying desperately to make sense of her words. My brain grasped what my heart couldn’t – my crazy, fun aunt, the one I could always count on to comment on every text, photo, or Facebook status, had died. There are no words to heal the wounds, no actions to reverse the grief, no thoughts to lessen the pain. Grief envelops every fiber of our beings. And quite honestly, my grief doesn’t even begin to compare to my cousins’ grief. They lost their mom, their biggest and loudest cheerleader.
As we’ve lived through the past week in a daze, there are two phrases that keep popping up in my head. The first comes from a book I read over 8 years ago. In it, the matriarch of the family repeats a saying when she receives any type of news, whether good or bad – “Hallelujah. God is good.”
When her grandchildren were born?
“Hallelujah. God is good.”
When her daughter-in-law announced she was divorcing their son?
“Hallelujah. God is good.”
When her home was destroyed by a fire?
“Hallelujah. God is good.”
When her youngest son was killed at war defending his country’s freedom?
“Hallelujah. God is good.”
When God miraculously saved her son and daughter-in-law’s marriage?
“Hallelujah. God is good.”
You see where I’m going with this story. As I read the book, I wondered if I could ever have the same reaction this lady had. Could I honestly say that God is good, even if the circumstances were bad? I hoped I wouldn’t have to find out, even though I knew deep down that loss and grief are no respecter of persons.
This saying, which has been rolling around in my head for the past week, reminds me of the second saying, a verse – “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (NLT) (emphasis mine)
It is NOT normal to elicit laughter at a funeral. It is NOT normal to lift your hands to worship to God at a funeral. It is NOT normal to comfort others when you have been the one to experience loss.
Or is it?
Do you know why 1 Thessalonians 4:13 is such a powerful verse? Because it’s true. Our family is still grieving. We will still cry, wail, and ask God why He chose to take Tia Sandy so early in life. We will still have bad days, and we will still wish she hadn’t died. But we refuse to camp out in hopelessness. Do you know why we can grieve and have hope at the same time? Because we know that Tia Sandy is gloriously happy in heaven, reunited with family, but mostly loving on Jesus. Yesterday, as we laid her to rest, I could only think one thing:
Hallelujah. God is good.
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