Bibles and a Benefit

This was Peyton’s bible.

We gave it to him for Christmas; his last Christmas here on earth.  In the days following the accident, I was desperate for Peyton’s accident to be a wake-up call to people.  I wanted the kids to know they could make a difference while they were here on this earth.  The only way to make a difference is by using and knowing the Word of God.  That is the reason I wanted “History Maker” to be sung at the service.

 

This is a powerful song and I wanted them to hear it.  We had the words shown on the screen and people were asked to stand and sing along.  Not a typical thing to do in a funeral service, but why not?

We gave Peyton’s bible to his good friend, Brock.  He reads it regularly.  We were able to give the same kind of bible to all the pallbearers and a few more of Peyton’s close friends.  I loved being able to give them and see their faces when they realized what it was.

The Benefit…..and more bibles.

The rodeo organization Peyton was riding in was the YBRA.  Youth Bull Riders Association.  The winter series is held in Muskogee, Oklahoma.  They schedule these shows every two weeks.  Peyton had ridden in two of these rodeos.  I don’t remember how soon after the accident the announcer called, but he did.  They planned on making the next rodeo a benefit for our family.

The rodeo community is very close knit and takes care of each other.  We had not been involved in this sport very long, but they were ready to help.  Not only did they have the rodeo, they also held an auction.  They auctioned off some serious stuff.  I was humbled beyond imagination by the way these people treated me.  They had the poster framed and gave it to me that night.  Tom had gotten a stomach bug and was unable to attend.  Again, our friends rallied around us and drove me to the benefit.  There were over 100 people from Alma that drove the 2.5 hours to support this effort.  Kayli sung the National Anthem.  It was an extremely emotional night. 

The rodeo was on a Saturday and the following Tuesday night, the announcer and his family came to our home to give us the proceeds.  I don’t even know how far they drove to do this.  They were so nice.  We took them into Peyton’s room to look around. They didn’t have to take the time to do this, but they did and it meant a lot to us. The benefit raised enough money to pay for Peyton’s funeral and his headstone.  When we were going through this terrible time, we didn’t think about how much things cost.  We got what we wanted and knew we would pay for it somehow.  It was a tremendous blessing to have this taken care of.

Tom attended the next scheduled rodeo two weeks later.  He took 250 camouflage New Testaments to hand out to the riders as a thank you for their support.  They had a sticker in each one that said

In Memory of Peyton Jackson

Read it, Live it

After I ordered these New Testaments, a man called  and said he didn’t have enough to ship the whole 250, but he would get them to me ASAP, and asked when did I have to have them.  I explained the situation and he said he could have them there by the time I needed them.  Then he asked if he could pray for me.  I said yes and he did, right there on the phone.  God loves us so much.

I am about to be finished with filling in the time line after Peyton’s accident.  There maybe a little more, but I think it is time to start blogging about the present.  I am ready.  We keep praying at church about “turning the corner”.  I’m turning the corner concerning the grief process.  I’m sure I will still share Peyton stories and I will never hide my feelings or my struggles. 

My God is great and greatly to be praised.