Soul Share
Today, allow me to share with you some friends I have met along my journey in the past few years.
If you have been reading along for a bit, you have most likely gathered that we moved from my childhood home in early 2020, right before COVID hit hard. We moved to our lake/vacation home not too far away, while our new house was being built. Side note: Thank you Jesus for providing a lake home all these years, because COVID plus not having space that was familiar would have made this move incredibly harder. Anyways, the closest store for miles is a Dollar General, which we depended on for months, because of lockdown.
When the restrictions started to lift a little, we ventured out, but very little. My doctors were wanting me to be very cautious, and so I was. But one day I just needed to ride and mask up and go to a few cute stores. Didn’t know where, but my Mom was determined we would find something open 😊 So we drive to a city close by that we know has some shops downtown, and search for shops that look like they are open. One of the stores we usually shop at was open, that was fun, but it’s a larger store and honestly, I instantly was overwhelmed and quite anxious. (this frequently happens to me – either loud or overstimulating places tend to send me right back out the door – It’s a sensory thing and I have gotten more sensitive to this with age/life lived- the great thing is I know and those around me how to act quickly and medicine doesn’t hurt either!)
Out of the crowded store and on to the next shop that is open. A new little shop. A shop that wasn’t crowded, a shop that I could breathe (even with the new accessory – a mask). The sign said, “Head Up, Eyes Forward,” I like it.
Have you ever walked into a place and instantly feel a calming peace? Everything that surrounds you feels like its saying, “come, rest, be comfortable, breathe, share, you are not alone.” (Maybe you haven’t felt like clothes and products talk to you, but I am a person that I feel like I hurt a t-shirts feelings if I decide not to wear it, and start apologizing to it! My clothes are my friends. Please don’t judge me. And this is beside the point.) There was a sense of instant soul connection with the lady in the store, and it wouldn’t take long to find out what that connection was.
My mom and I started saying how much we loved the store and what they carried. We introduced ourselves and she introduced herself, Susan, her son and her owned and ran the store. We also were interested in the story behind the name. She began telling the story of her two sons and how one son, Ryan, had painted the canvas (in 2015), displayed in the store, for her other son, Landon, as an encouragement. On the side, he had written, “Head Up Eyes Forward.” In 2016, Ryan, an avid outdoorsman, was hiking in Colorado by himself, and slipped while hiking and lost his life due to the horrific fall.
In the years following, Landon established the brand “Head Up Eyes Forward,” in honor his brother and to further the encouragement and life legacy that would continue through this brand, that donates 100% of its profits.
Read more: https://headupeyesforward.com/pages/about-us
Instantly I knew: why we came to this store, why I felt peace and calm, and that I needed to be in this store at this very moment.
Susan shared the date of Ryan’s passing, and I pretty much burst into tears. Lucy ran to Jesus exactly two years and one month later. Losing a child, there is much to be said about this grief, but the one thing that I have found so sacred is that you have an unspoken connection. It can only be Jesus. Period. He draws us together.
I shared our story and the good, the bad, and the downright breath taking moments. We wept and embraced. And one of the things that really sticks with me about this day and meeting Susan, is that she listened so well, that when I was telling her about Lucy’s diagnosis – she actually was as shocked as I was that Lucy had never had more than her brain stem. She actually asked me questions- how can this be? how did they not detect this? She was another mom who went into mom advocacy mode. I had my mom who had done this and brainstormed with me, and a few others that were blown away by the facts of the miracle, but not even a handful. I remember thanking her for asking, and then walking out of the store and turning to my mom and saying, “She really did just ask the real questions and wanted the answers, didn’t she? She really acknowledged what a miracle Lucy’s whole life was, didn’t she?” And my mom said, “Indeed, she did. She really really did!”
Hold your horses though! That’s not even close to the end of the story!!
July 2021. Moss Mountain Outfitters opened! Quality brands: clothing, outdoor gear, Head Up Eyes Forward apparel and goods, etc. A store inspired by the love of the outdoors and the relationship between Ryan and Landon. It is a beautiful testimony in response to a deep loss. It is a place of great compassion and community!
https://www.mossmountainoutfitters.com
And now July 2022, I am so happy to announce that the Head Up Eyes Forward Story has been selected as a finalist in the 2023 Richmond International Film Festival! Here is a short clip of what is to come:
I can’t wait for the entire film to be available! I will keep you all updated! But in the meantime, visit the above websites and support my friends 😊💕 They are truly amazing!!!
Life Book of the Week: Near, by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Picture Above: Susan hand stamped this “Hole in my heart” pendant. She wears hers everyday, and so do I. It is a wonderful reminder that we are not alone in the moments, daily, and the anniversaries. 😊 An amazing blessing!
