03/28/2026
sharing because we care and honor Marik and his family and friends through all their journeys. pray 🙏 and share
Eight years ago today, around this time of day, my sweet boy left our home for the very last time.
We drove to a hotel, where a beautiful friend made space for something sacred. In a hot tub, surrounded by love and urgency, Marik was baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of his sins.
It was something he wanted.
And it was something our community moved mountains to make happen.
It is still one of the most difficult moments I have ever witnessed.
I watched my 15-year-old son come face to face with eternity.
I watched him understand, in a way no child ever should have to, the weight of life, of death, and of what was waiting beyond it.
There is no way to explain what it feels like to see your child make peace with leaving this world.
It is a heartbreak that lives beyond words.
And yet… he got out of that bed.
He was exhausted.
He needed oxygen.
But he refused to bring it.
Because he believed what he was doing mattered.
That moment has carried me through more days than I can count.
There have been so many times—during the battle and in the years since—when I didn’t want to get up.
Didn’t want to leave the house.
Didn’t want to keep going.
But then I remember…
he did.
So I do.
Lately, I’ve been feeling a lot.
Building this collective has been harder than I expected.
I tend to dream big and assume things will fall into place—and sometimes, they don’t.
I thought there would be hundreds, maybe thousands, of people ready to jump in.
The reality is… it’s been a handful.
And that’s okay.
Because I still know this matters.
I know these stories matter.
I know these conversations matter.
And I know they will help people.
That’s what keeps me going.
You’re going to see things shift over the next few months.
What we thought this would be… is evolving.
The website may look simpler than planned.
There may be less “stuff” and more substance.
And that’s intentional.
We’re going to keep showing up.
Keep doing what feels right.
Let go of what doesn’t.
And move forward at a pace that honors the weight of why this exists.
We’ve said from the beginning—this is not a nonprofit.
That was intentional.
We never wanted to ask more from a community that’s already carrying so much.
But I am going to ask for something simple:
If you see our posts—
like them.
comment.
share them.
That small action matters more than you know.
Because of you, I was able to monetize Marik’s page.
Last month, it made $21.
And while that may not sound like much—
every interaction helps that grow.
That’s how we fund this.
That’s how we reach more people.
That’s how we get these stories, and this podcast, into the world.
We’re doing this no matter what.
We always have.
But you being part of it—even in the smallest way—makes a real difference.
Thank you for sitting with me in this moment.
This day…
this memory…
this weight…
It’s one of the most defining parts of our story.
And it’s the reason this collective exists at all.
🖤
