My heart hurts tonight for my friend, Angie Brockmeyer. Her husband's funeral visitation is happening now. I can not begin to imagine the heartache that she is feeling. I can only pray that she is able to feel the Lord's peace enveloping her and her two children.

The Brockmeyer family have held a special place in our hearts, since the time that we built a home in 1999. Ours was one of the first to go up in the subdivision. We anxiously waited for neighbors. It was so exciting when Mike and Angie built the home next door to us. They had a son that was a few months older than our 18 mo. old Avery, and their daughter was six. It didn't take us long to form a friendship. We celebrated birthdays together, had picnics in our backyards, and shared snacks and toys. Avery and Mackenzie were inseparable.

Mike and Clark were inseparable at times, too! They spent hours in our yard talking the evenings away while the boys played together. I remember when Mike first became a police officer, and Angie was so proud of him! I always loved the way Mackenzie looked so much like Mike, since Avery looked nothing like Clark! Mike loved his children so much! Kayla's sports events were the highlights of his day. Mackenzie was playing in the back of Mike's truck one day, and fell out and broke his arm. I think Mike felt the pain more than Mackenzie! Because of Mike's shift at the police station, he was often home during the day. When Riley's due date approached, I began fervently walking the neighborhood in hopes of encouraging Riley to join us. Every time I would pass the house, Mike would cheer me on! When I was diagnosed with cancer, Mike and Angie were there to encourage me and pray. One Halloween, he and Clark took the kids out for trick-or-treating. Riley's asthma had been terrible that week, and he was unable to go with the others. Mike felt sorry for him and brought him over a big bag filled with candy. Mike helped me pull off a surprise 30th birthday party for Clark, even though he said he almost gave it away a hundred times! Saying goodbye to our family-like neighbors was hard when we moved to East Tennessee! We often went by to visit when we whenever we visited Jackson. Thank you, Mike for being such a wonderful friend and for all of the memories. Please know that so many are praying for Angie and the kids and believing that the Lord's peace will carry them through this trial.

The following is borrowed from The Jackson Sun...

JPD officer Brockmeyer dies at 38: Former airman's cancer had come back in August

Brockmeyer

Jackson police officer and former airman Michael Brockmeyer died Friday night after a long battle with leukemia. Brockmeyer was told in June that he was cancer free, but in August his doctors told him his cancer was back.
Members of the community banded together on behalf of Brockmeyer as his condition worsened and his 180 sick-time hours dwindled.
About 20 officers decided to take turns working his shifts, and a schedule was worked out so someone would be covering his shift every day through the end of the year.
In May, officers organized a benefit cookout that raised $6,000, and the family received donations from businesses in the community, such as HaliHannigan's Cupcakery, which donated 10 percent of its cupcake sales and all customer donations on June 30 to the family.
Brockmeyer, 38, had his infected gall bladder removed in March, and his white blood cell count was still high after the surgery, so doctors sent his blood to the pathology lab. The family said the cancer diagnosis was a shock.
He was receiving a new round of chemotherapy at Vanderbilt Medical Center.
Police Chief Gill Kendrick said that it is with deep regret that the Jackson Police Department announced Brockmeyer's passing late Friday night.
Brockmeyer had 10 years of service with the department and worked in the Uniform Patrol Division.
Kendrick also requested on behalf of the Brockmeyer family that their privacy be respected at this time.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by George A. Smith & Sons North Chapel. Visitation is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Monday at Englewood Baptist Church.
The service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Englewood, followed by burial services at Highland Memorial Gardens.

Happy Birthday to my forever friend Selina LeAnn Arwood. We have been friends from the moment she was born. I was almost 2. We were born and raised in the Aurora, IL area. We both love Chicago style hot dogs, Portillos, Batavia fireworks, and Oberweis ice cream. She met and married a man from Tennessee, and we were all sad that she was moving so far from home. A couple of years later, I met and married my own Tennessean, although he was from the opposite end of the state, and also moved far from home. For ten years she lived in E TN, and I lived in W TN. Then we moved to her city of Maryville. I love that our kids are growing up together. Avery & Riley think that Tyler is the absolute coolest and Landry is determined to one day marry Allison. Her are a few pics from our past that I thought I would share. Happy Birthday, Selina! Love you much!

I wrote this poem for Selina after she was in the hospital in 1982. Sheila found it a few months ago. LOL! LOVE IT! The stamp on the envelope was very interesting...it was a Tennessee stamp!!