Happy Mother's Day

Mom:

You taught me to walk.
You taught me to read and write.
You taught me to pray.
You taught me to swim.
You taught me to love.
You taught me to sing.
You taught me right from wrong.
You taught me to bold.
You taught me compassion.
You taught me to accessorize.
You taught me to laugh.
You taught me that true beauty is on the inside.
You taught me confidence.
You taught me to lead by example.
You taught me to serve others.
You taught me that success isn’t measured in dollar signs, but in the number of lives I impact.
You taught me that character counts.

And when you died you reminded me of life’s greatest lessons:
This life is temporary.
Live every day like it’s your last.
Love everyone like you’ll never see them again.
Live a life that makes a difference for others every day.

Happy Mother’s Day

In Service to God, Community

Last month the City of McAllen honored mom with the inaugural "Community Service Award". Above is the page from the program, and if you can't read it, it says:

"The McAllen Mayor's Prayer Committee introduces a new dimension to the luncheon's program, The Community Service Award. After a review of potential awardees, the Committee unanimously selected Mrs. Cheri Sarver, former Principal of Covenant Christian Academy, as the first honoree of this award. Cheri's commitment of faith, love and inspiration was demonstrated daily to the students, parents, faculty, and staff of the Covenant Christian Academy, as well as to her church (Baptist Temple). Mrs. Sarver has been named posthumously to receive the award. Her husband, Mr. Barney Sarver, will accept the award on her behalf."

The keynote speaker at the event was William P. Young, the author of The Shack, a wonderful book about God's love and mercy; a book that had actually ministered to many people in my family over the course of the past eight months.

Overall, it was a wonderful event and we were so pleased that the city chose to honor Mom in such a public way. It is a great opportunity to continue her legacy and share her story and her life with others. It was also a great time to see the family! (see photo) I think one of the outgrowths of this tragedy has been a renewed appreciation for family; a desire to spend time with them whenever possible, and a reminder to always say "I love you," because you never know when it will be your last opportunity.

Blood is Thicker Than Water

It's been too long since I've update this blog, so I thought I'd add a couple of pictures from a recent Sarver sibling ski weekend. We are so blessed to be such a close family. We all enjoy each other's company, and spend most vacations trying to get together. It's a closeness that was instilled in us early on, and nurtured throughout the course of our lives.



When Mom made the decision to teach us at home in 1984, she took on an enormous challenge. Educating three rambunctious kids at three different grade levels must have a daunting prospect. But Mom relished the opportunity. She wanted to spend more time with us and hated the idea of someone else instilling values in her kids. She felt it was her God-given responsibility to "train up a child in the way he should go" as we read in Proverbs 22:6. She turned our formal dining room into a classroom, complete with chalkboards, school desks and electric pencil sharpeners. She made us wake up early, get showered and dress and sit down for school time. She took the responsibility very seriously, but she always made it fun. She introduced new games and songs to help jog our memory or turn a complicated idea into something memorable. She helped us with English, science and history, always helping the subject come alive. She had a gift for teaching and nurturing. A gift that was later shared with hundreds of kids at Covenant Christian Academy.

For 12 years she taught her children at home, forgoing opportunities to work full time outside of the home or have much of a life outside of her family and her service. She felt like we were her calling, and we are blessed beyond measure because of her sacrifice. We all excelled academically, and went on to graduate at the top of our classes from Sharyland High School. But it was that early foundation that she laid that created a sturdy grounding for future success. And, it was those early years in which we spent so much time together, morning, noon and night that we learned that the best of friends are those who share our blood. The bond of siblings is the strongest and I'm grateful that she taught us to be friends.

Christmas in Mexico

This year we decided to head South for Christmas. Knowing that this particularly holiday would be especially hard without Mom, we thought a fun, activity-filled tropical vacation was in order. So we planned a trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico where we could blissfully ignore all of the holiday traditions and memories that might have caused sadness rather then joy on this happiness of holidays. Well, after a few mishaps along the way (lost passports, wrong names on tickets, 3-hour plane delays) our plan worked. We had a great Christmas in Playa full of fun, laughter and new memories. We snorkeled, swam, canoed, zip-lined, biked, rappelled, cave dived, played beach volleyball, hiked and climbed to the top of an ancient Mayan pyramid at Coba. (We're pictured above at the top of the pyramid.)

As you can see, we were more "active" then a normal beach vacation and spent a lot of time hiking around and exploring the beautiful sites. This is a view from the cliffs of Tulum, another Mayan village we explored. We did spend a day lounging by one of the two huge pools with poolside food and drinks service. Below is a picture of the Sarver Boys horsing around in the pool.

We stayed at the beautiful new Hacienda Tres Rios along the Riviera Maya. The resort was less than a month old, and was built on the site of a nature preserve, so there was lush vegitation, natural pools called cenotes, bike trails, animal watching and of course, there was lots of eating at our luxurious "all inclusive" resort. After all that eating, we had to enjoy some time in the sun (with suncsreen, of course!).

Overall, we had a great time goofing off with one another and celebrating Christmas. We hope to revive many of our family traditions next year...Mom's Swedish cookies and meatballs, a special Christmas breakfast with sausage and gravy, homemade apple sauce and eggs, a night around the tree with crackers and cheese and sparkling wine, sharing our favorite holiday memories. (Boy, it seems like a lot of our traditions revolve around FOOD!) While we missed Mom dearly, and her seat at the table was noticeably empty, we were grateful for the time time together and for the many blessings God has given us. Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

The First Thanksgiving

Last week we celebrated the first Thanksgiving without Mom. The Longhorn and Aggie wings of the Johnson family met in Austin for the annual Thanksgiving football match. We enjoyed the cool weather, TONS of bbq at the Salt Lick, and of course THE game. (49-9, Texas won)

As I sat around with my family thinking of all that I'm grateful for...good health, a job that I love, amazing friends and family, a free and democratic country and above all, my Heavenly father, I couldn't help but think of Mom. My heart still aches when I think about life without her. Not an hour goes by that I don't think about her. She loved the holidays. She relished any chance to celebrate, decorate, cook and most of all, spent time with her family. Even if we didn't always share Thansksgiving Day together, we were always celebrating together in spirit. This year, though most of the family was actually together in person, Mom was noticeably absent...but her spirit lives on in all of us.

This year, the thing I'm most grateful for is my Mother. The blessing of her in my life as a teacher, mentor and friend, is above all that I could have ever hoped for. I'm grateful that God gave her to me for 32 years, and I'm grateful for the impact she had in my life and the lives of countless others.

Ms. Cheri's Gym!

Last Friday, Oct. 17, 2008 we dedicated the "Cheri Sarver Gymnasium" at Covenant Christian Academy. It was four months to the day of when we held Mom's memorial service...her "graduation celebration" as Dad called it. It was a fitting way to mark the occasion. The new gym and multipurpose building was a huge accomplishment for Mom.

She spent hours of time, energy and prayer helping to plan, prepare for, fundraise for and organize the new building. In many ways it was the culmination of her dream for CCA to move to the next level, by having a permanent building and a solid foundation for the future. She was thrilled when the first bit of concrete was poured, when the walls went up and when the first the event was held there just weeks before her death. I can only imagine that she would wholeheartedly approve of the final accessory...her name on the corner of the building! The dedication service included music, testimony and photos of her beloved CCA kids, and it culminated in the release of 500 purple balloons into the sky...little tokens of love being let up in the air to say one last goodbye to Ms. Cheri.

Mom, you'd be proud. You are missed more than words can begin to express, but we're all working hard to keep your legacy alive, living every day with purpose and passion.

Cheri Sarver Believed God!

Many people have shared so eloquently about Mom...it's comforting to read through them and see how much she inspired others. Below is a note Tom Fleming wrote in a card to Grandma Joyce...

"I wanted to share what I wrote in my journal on Tuesday, June 17, 2008: Cheri’s funeral was today. I was more “teary” and have cried more in the last 5 1/2 days than I ever have in my life. I felt such a mixture of emotions: sadness for the loss, joy over a life given to God, insecurity about the future, inspired by a life that touched so many, thankful to have had the opportunity to know her, and watch her in action, blessed to have learned from her and about her. I loved her management style—very hands-on, and people followed her. She was a woman of conviction, who knew how to laugh, who somehow captured what it is to really love. I’m sure she had all the struggles every human being has, but I really think she believed in God. The woman really believed God. She didn’t just believe in God, Cheri Sarver believed God! It’s not an “I’m believing God for this or that,” but an “I believe God who tells me so many wonderful things in His word.” If one really believes God, how could they not be as joyful as Cheri Sarver?"

With Much Christian Love,

Tom Fleming