My sweet brother, Travis Ryan Sellers, passed away this morning in a car accident. He left behind a beautiful wife, and a darling son (not yet 2) and daughter (10 weeks). I loved him with all my heart. I can't tell you how much pain I feel or how many tears I've cried. There are never enough good memories and never enough time to fill the void when a loved one passes. Oh how I wish... I must say that with this bitter pain comes joy in my testimony of Jesus Christ. I know He Lives. I know He died for us, I know he paid the debt for our sins through his Atonement. I can't even begin to express the gratitude I have for Him today. Without my testimony of Him I know I would be even deeper in the depths of despair.
I have felt my Savior's love today and in looking over this past week I see how He prepared me for this goodbye. On Tuesday I was reading my scriptures and also reading from the Ensign (church magazine). I read an article that talked about fasting for our loved ones who are in need. Instantly I thought of my brother and the trials he has been going through. I called my mom and suggested that the whole family fast and pray for Travis today. She agreed that it would be a significant thing to do for him at a time that we could do nothing else. The next day my little sister called my mom and said that she had read an article in the Ensign and was impressed that our family should fast and pray for Travis. My mom said that it must be inspiration because I had just called her the day before with the same idea. Jill (my little sister) emailed the family for their support and last night we began our fast, which would last for two meals or approx 24 hours. The money we would have spent on food was also to be donated to our Church's humanitarian efforts. We had no idea that Travis would be leaving us during this time. Because of our fast we all felt closer to the Lord and to Travis. So many other things have happened today to let me know that the Lord loves Travis and is watching over him.
Thank you so much to my dear friends who have been there for me today. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to call each of you to let you know, truly only those who saw me at church today know about this. I'm hoping to fly out w/ Darin and the kids on Tuesday. I'm not sure when the funeral will be but I'm sure I will update everyone as I know more.
I want you to know how much you mean to me. This life is short and we don't get enough chances to share our love and our faith with others. I know I need to take every opportunity I can. Please hug your family a little tighter tonight.
All my love,
Sarah
http://www.kfdm.com/news/driver_24989___article.html/road_bmw.html
Also, my sisters Jill and Cari updated their blogs with great memories of Travis. You can click on the sidebar "Ratcliff" and "Murdock" to read more.
20 comments:
Sarah, I'm so sorry! My heart aches for you and for his wife and kids who I don't even know. One thing I have learned myself is that even when you have a testimony, and you know that death is a necessary part of life, it's okay to grieve and to be sad and miserable for a while. My prayers are with you and your family.
Y'ALL ARE IN OUR PRAYERS AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE PICS AND NEWS SITE.
Sara-
Oh my goodness, this heartbreak is so sudden for you all! So so sorry, and be safe on your trip there. You are in our prayers!
So sad to hear about your loss. You are such a strong person and I have always been impressed with your spirit and testimony. It is so hard to lose someone so close. If you need ANYTHING let me know! We will be thinking about you.
You and your family are in our prayers. We love you guys!
Sarah I am so sorry to hear about your brother. You are such a strong person, but I know that doesn't take the hurt away. Please call me if you need to talk. I love you! You are in our prayers.
Amy
Sarah, this post just made me sob. I feel for your families loss. That really is neat that you and your family had those impressions to fast and pray for you brother today and I hope that will help you make it through this tough time. It's not easy. Know that you are in our prayers
We are very sorry and are praying for your family. We wish we could be there to help you and show you how much we love you!
Sarah, we are so sorry for your loss. Just wanted to let you know were thinking of you and your family!
Oh Sarah, please tell all your family how much everyone here is praying for them and how we ache for all of you. We are so sorry for your loss. I love you and am anxious to do anything I can. Call me when you get back!
Sarah I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. I can't imagine the grief. What a blessing to have been fasting together as a family. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Sarah, you are such an amazing person and I have admired the grace and strength with which you have handled this ordeal. Thanks for posting some pictures of your brother. He looks like he was a great guy. We are so sad for your family.
Oh, Sarah! I'm so sorry for your family's loss. It is always hard to lose a loved one, but especially when it's so sudden. Thank you so much for sharing your testimony again. I am always amazed at how strong you are spiritually and you have helped me many times because of it. You and your family are in our prayers!
Sarah,
My thoughts and prayers are with you, your brothers famiy and all of your family. Words can't express the sorrow I feel for all of you. Death in any form is hard to deal with but I can't imagine such an unexpected death. I know the Lord is mindful of all of you and will be with you in the coming times when you will continue to miss and grieve him. Thank goodness for the Gospel. Keep having the great perspective that you do. Know there are many of us here who love you and would do whatever we can to help you. If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, someone to vent to or just talk to I am here for ya.
Lots of Love,
Heather
Sarah, I'm so so sorry to hear about your brother, I could not image what you are going through. Be safe and know you are so loved. We will be praying for you as well.
Sarah:
What a shock. I am so sorry to hear about Travis. I was just thinking back to a couple of weeks ago when we were talking about him and what a great guy he is. Please let your family know how much we love you! You are definitely in our prayers. Love The Sundbergs
We are so sorry to hear about your loss. It is never easy when a loved one dies, but I was so impressed with your beautiful testimony of the Savior and His love. We will keep you in our prayers.
Sarah,
I'm so sorry! Know we are thinking of you all!
Love,
Nate & Allicen
i'm so sorry sarah. i hope you and your family are doing okay.
Sarah and Family,
I'm so sorry for your loss and that it took a week for me to find out and respond. I wish I was there to share in your tears and give you a big squeeze and whatever else you are in need of. Jon's Grandma just passed away yesterday, but this was more of a joyous passing. BUT, like you said, wouldn't it be horrible if you didn't know that your brother was okay and watching over you? You will all be in our prayers.
Much,much love,
Kelly
Post a Comment