July 19, 2013
Allison
I was forever changed on July 18th 2003, and it’s hard to believe that it was ten years ago. My first day
at Point Loma Nazarene University I met Allison Carley Dahm. A girl from Michigan and
someone who I quickly learned loved God, loved life, knew how to have fun, and
became one of my dearest friends.
at Point Loma Nazarene University I met Allison Carley Dahm. A girl from Michigan and
someone who I quickly learned loved God, loved life, knew how to have fun, and
became one of my dearest friends.
Looking
back on my almost 30 years of life Allison’s friendship is one of the most
treasured blessings I have been given. We enjoyed our freshmen and sophomore
year as roommates and relied on each other to get through those
early years of being broke college kids.
back on my almost 30 years of life Allison’s friendship is one of the most
treasured blessings I have been given. We enjoyed our freshmen and sophomore
year as roommates and relied on each other to get through those
early years of being broke college kids.
Allison
is always on my heart, but there has been an increase in my thoughts about her on this day. On 7/18/2003, Allison was on her way to pick our mutual friend Barbara from the airport
in her hometown of Holland, MI. I was scheduled to fly out two days later on
July 20th for the
three of us to spend a week discovering the sights around Michigan. However, instead of the memories of three college
kids spending a week of summer together Barbara and I share the memory of
attending Allison’s funeral after the car accident that occurred while Allison was on her way to pick Barbara up from the airport. The aftermath was
devastation and true realization that peace on this Earth can be shaken no
matter how good life seems to be going.
is always on my heart, but there has been an increase in my thoughts about her on this day. On 7/18/2003, Allison was on her way to pick our mutual friend Barbara from the airport
in her hometown of Holland, MI. I was scheduled to fly out two days later on
July 20th for the
three of us to spend a week discovering the sights around Michigan. However, instead of the memories of three college
kids spending a week of summer together Barbara and I share the memory of
attending Allison’s funeral after the car accident that occurred while Allison was on her way to pick Barbara up from the airport. The aftermath was
devastation and true realization that peace on this Earth can be shaken no
matter how good life seems to be going.
Initially
that devastation fueled my anger towards God, and justified acting out and
living life for what pleased me moment by moment. Anger
eventually turned into submission after realizing how fragile this life is and
learning that God is there to personally and individually reach
out to us even in the midst of some of our darkest times.
that devastation fueled my anger towards God, and justified acting out and
living life for what pleased me moment by moment. Anger
eventually turned into submission after realizing how fragile this life is and
learning that God is there to personally and individually reach
out to us even in the midst of some of our darkest times.
I have
come to believe whole-heartedly that Allison left this world for Heaven, a
place where I am confident she will greet me when my time on this Earth is
over. A place where peace cannot be shaken, and there will be no more
goodbyes, no more tears, and no more pain or suffering. Heaven, a place where we can
all reunite with the one’s we love, and others who believed and followed Jesus during the short amount of time we are allotted to make a difference on this Earth. Allison made a difference in my life. On the ten year anniversary of her death I remember many wonderful things about her; I remember her smile, her sense of humor, her positive attitude, her love for her family and friends, her desire to use her talents for good and the betterment of others, but most importantly I remember the love she displayed for God and those around here no matter what day of the week it was!
come to believe whole-heartedly that Allison left this world for Heaven, a
place where I am confident she will greet me when my time on this Earth is
over. A place where peace cannot be shaken, and there will be no more
goodbyes, no more tears, and no more pain or suffering. Heaven, a place where we can
all reunite with the one’s we love, and others who believed and followed Jesus during the short amount of time we are allotted to make a difference on this Earth. Allison made a difference in my life. On the ten year anniversary of her death I remember many wonderful things about her; I remember her smile, her sense of humor, her positive attitude, her love for her family and friends, her desire to use her talents for good and the betterment of others, but most importantly I remember the love she displayed for God and those around here no matter what day of the week it was!
I will always dearly love my friend Allison and treasure the memories we made together, and I cannot wait until the day when we can rejoice in reward of Heaven together!
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