Time to update.

It's been another 365 days. I figure that is enough of a break from what was a daily part of my life for quite some time. I've kind of missed writing and I think i'll be back at it again just for my own fun.

Well, today is the 2 year anniversary of my girl moving from here to heaven. It's been an overall stupid day. I went in to work late because I couldn't pull myself together this morning and then was pretty much unproductive for most of the day. But, it helped to be there. Hunter Vision is almost as much my home as my home is. It's a place I've helped create and I'm comfortable there. There's a team of people all working toward a common goal to help others and there is a rhythm to the day that forces me to think about other things outside of the place my mind wants to go when left to it's own silence. I say today was stupid only because there is not a good word for it.

I spent much of the day thinking about the gift of Ava in our lives, what it'd be like if she were here, what she would be in to, the chaos she would bring that would be so welcomed and the joys I've missed because she isn't with us physically. So, it was a fairly selfish and sad day for me. The only thing I can come up with to describe it is "stupid".

I really don't like getting stuck in sad anymore and most days I don't live there. We laugh a lot and goof around a lot as a family. I work a lot and love the people I work with. Most memories of stuff with Ava make me laugh and not cry. But, a day like today sends all of the normal out the window. This date just matters. I still don't want it to, but I sure still do. It's just as confusing to me as it was for you to read that sentence. The truth is I just flat out miss her. It's been 2 years and it feels like 5 minutes and a hundred years at the same time.

In other, but related news:
Lisa and Noah are doing well. Noah is killing it in school and Lis is still rocking along as she keeps Noah on task and helps me with whatever comes along. I realized it was time to update my blog when I got a bunch of people trying to send me notes in round about ways since I got off of Facebook. I just got tired of seeing what the guy I went to middle school with ate for dinner last night...so, I got outta there. Life is much simpler without it and I am digging it.

There is no great wisdom to this post. It's simply an update to let you know how we are doing two years later and a mark in history that I can come back to read in two more years. Things are generally good. We've still got race left to run, so as long as that is the case I will do my best to honor Christ in my home and my work and in the process honor my lil girl and make her proud. I think she'd be pleased...but, gosh do we miss her.

The significance of 365 days.

I have no idea why one year matters. I don't know why this day is more significant than any of the last few months worth of days. But, it is.

About a week ago my body and mind began to feel the weight of this date. I slept weird, had vivid dreams, had emotions that I haven't in months, had less patience than normal, thought of Ava more during the day than I have in a while, and remembered things I wanted to forget.

This day will likely always carry significance in our lives. I want it to and don't want it to at the same time. It's just another day...but it isn't. This day exactly one year ago our sweet girl joined Jesus in heaven and we were left with a void that can't be filled. If that sounds heavy, it's because it is. It's a burden that our family will carry forever. Every person who loves us and Ava carries it with us. In a weird way it makes the burden a little lighter.

God continues to bless us through the pain. Here are my highlights from the last 365 days:

1. Opened Hunter Vision and watched it grow from start-up to a solid company with an incredible team. We started with 4 and now have over 50 team members involved on a weekly basis to keep the clinic running to perfection as we love on people who need vision correction as Christ would love on them.
2. I celebrated 15 married years with the love of my life.
3. Our family met with the President of the United States and he hugged Lisa and I and let us know that He and Michele have been praying for us.
4. We officially became parents of a teenager.
5. Our family drew closer as we walked through the pain of our loss and reminded each other daily of Ava's gain.

God is good. I know it. I refuse to believe otherwise. My heart needs to believe it and my mind knows it to be the only thing that even makes sense.

We are grateful to all of you who have cared for us and loved on us when we had nothing to give back. There are many of you who have been the body of Christ for us. Some of you don't even know that is what you have been.

The greatest gift you all could give us and Ava is to be with us forever, far beyond this life. Do me a favor. Find out if Jesus is who He said He was. It will change your life when you come to the conclusion that He is. It certainly won't make it easier, but it will make it worth it.

Ava's life still marks this world a year after she left it. God blesses in times of great joy and in great pain. We do our best to follow Him. The mark of a lasting blessing and a life worth living is wrapped up in a man who lived 2000 years ago by a girl who did not live 2000 days. Both changed my life forever. One because of how he loves me and one because of how I love her.

365 days. It matters. Let the next 365 be the ones that bring you to the reason we are all here.

Love to all of you. Thanks for loving us.

Felt like bloggin.

It's been a while since I have checked in. We are coming up on a year now since I started blogging about Ava. I still miss her every single day. Most days are good and I can remember that only we are missing her, she is not missing us one bit. Some days, that ain't as easy to remember.

I've met and talked to so many who have lost people close to them over the last year. It's been amazing. Nobody understands why, but somehow we still have life to live down here for now. When I remember that God's not done with me yet, it helps. He wants me to keep on doing what I can for Him each day and leave it up to Him when it's time to join the party.

Hunter Vision has been open for almost a year. 2 weeks and we are there. It's been one heck of a first year in business, that's for sure. It has been everything I thought it would be and so many things I never imagined. Both good and tough.

Business is good. We laser a lot of eyeballs. That is a huge blessing. I still love my wife more each day and we have a soon-to-be teenager that is more than entertaining on a daily basis!

Lisa, Noah and I are doing well. We laugh a lot again. We miss the little laugh in the house and the general commotion that she brought to each day, but we have adjusted to knowing that we still have time to be here.

I thank you all for the continued prayers over the last year, we have leaned so heavily on them and needed them more than you will ever know.

I don't have much tonight, but I wanted to let those of you who have cared so much for us to know that you got us through the toughest days. Thanks. For real.

Back for a minute.

I fully plan on being back in blog world soon. Life is busy right now. However, if you want to see how my family spent a couple days last week, go here to my sister-in-law's post.

Pretty unreal.

Met a stranger.

I went to lunch with my brother, Dr. Joel today. We were sitting there finishing our Mexican heart attacks on a plate when the server brought the bill. Dr. Joel had picked up the tab on this one and she handed him his card back and said, "Joel Hunter?" as lots of people in this town do when they see his name. He responded, "yes... I have a father by the same name you may know."

Most people then launch into some story about how they know Dad and what He has done for them or their friend or mother or cousin or whoever. The stories are nice to hear and really I never get tired of them. But, this lady was different. She didn't even flinch at the mention of Pops. She went on to ask about a brother of ours that is a minister "or something". She has a friend who goes to Summit. But, the conversation turned when Joel introduced me as his other brother. She asked, "now are you the one who recently lost your daughter?" This question is no longer foreign to me, so I politely said yes and thanked her for asking and caring. I really do think it's neat when people care enough to say something.

She eventually went on to talk about her sister, who opened the restaurant 28 years ago that had passed 2 years ago. She teared up a bit as she felt my pain and her own all in one fell swoop. I knew we had connected in a way that not everyone is capable of. She had followed Ava from afar and felt her story as she relived the pain of losing her sister 2 years ago. She talked of the reminders of seeing the restaurant she built everyday and the things her sister had written as she built the business from nothing. It was meaningful to me. She asked how I was doing and we chatted for a moment.

I have a new friend. I forget her name already, but it doesn't matter. It was a great reminder that so many around me walk around with broken parts of their lives every single day.

It was also a reminder that there is only one healer, only one who can make us whole again someday. His name is Jesus and he promises that following Him leads to eternal wholeness. He is the author and finisher of our faith.

I just remembered. Her name is Missy. And she is a friend.

Good morning...

I spent 3 hours this morning with my brother in the squirrel woods. Yes, they are just regular woods, but whatever game you are pursuing, for whatever reason, is what you call those woods. The squirrel, deer, turkey...whatever woods are all the same woods for me. I don't go to many different places, but I don't need to. I just love being out in the _____ woods. (That blank is there to fill in an animal name, not because I was attempting to bleep out a word).

My soul gets restored in nature. I will have a great week this week and lots of it will be due to the fact that I got out and walked around in the wilderness chasing tree rats.

Turkey season is almost here...I can't wait.

Oh, I read a book last week called, "Heaven is for real". It's one of the few ever that changed my whole world. It's a picture of heaven from a 4 year old boy who went there for a short time when having an emergency appendectomy. What an incredible gift it was to me to be able to "see" our home. I have different peace now. Knowing she'd not want to come back even if given the chance and that she is loving every second of it. She's the lucky one. Soon enough we'll get to join her, but until then we've got some work to do.

Time to get after it!

Checkin in'

I took a blog break. It was really helpful. I'm back in for now as I work to "flip" my schedule back to early mornings instead of late nights. I'm sure i'll have the occasional late night, but I'm workin' on making it the exception and not the rule. Also, while my month-long experiment with the devotional format was fun, it was more effort than I wanted it to be. If this thing starts feeling like homework, I won't do it. I have enough of that already. So, today is Hunter family life update day...this before I go back to rambling on about other stuff in the days ahead.

We are doing pretty well. Last weekend was the 5k for brain tumors that was run in Orlando. We were part of a team that ran for Ava and it was a really cool weekend. We got the pleasure of seeing and meeting a bunch of people who prayed so hard for her last summer. It was truly an awesome event. We set a record for team size for any event they have ever done and our team of over 160 people (out of a total of almost 500 racers) looked like a sea of purple in their Ava Hunter shirts. I'm not much into shirts in the fashion arena, but these were really cool. Lisa had them made and they had a drawing of Ava's name that she (Ava) made on the front, and a scripture on the back that read, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" 2 Tim. 4:7 ...it was awesome.

We still have bad moments. The days are better than they used to be, but the giant hole is still there. I'm just not as likely to fall into it every minute because I am used to it being there now. But, some days I still can't help it. We talk about Ava every single day still and there are many more laughs than there were. I would venture to say a few more laughs than tears even...

Hunter Vision is rocking along. A new year has brought a new momentum to the clinic. The staff is great and of course, the doc is still awesome. We are getting busy. Word is spreading and our appointment books no longer look like a family reunion invite list. That's how you know you are headed in the right direction.

I'll chat more tomorrow. I've got to get to a book I'm reading about how to be awesome. It's called the Bible.