Category: thedallindifference

I Choose to Grieve

On By HeartofHuntIn Faith, grief, Hope, Loss of a Child, Mother, Service, thedallindifference2 Comments

How can it be five years? How can it be, outside of cherished photos and treasured memories, five long years, since I have seen your face, been uplifted by the warmth of your smile or felt your famous hugs? How can it be when I long to talk to you, smell your cologne, hear your laughter or soak in your essence and learn from your wisdom, I am painfully reminded of the giant chasm that separates us? How can it be that someone so good and kind and such a vital and important part of so many lives is simply gone?

Yes, this is the day when all of these questions and so many more beg to be answered. This is the day Heavenly Father called my son Dallin home, the day that forever altered our existence, the day when taking this life for granted came to a blunt and brutal end. For the most part I have learned to navigate this unexpected detour, put on a happy face, rely on faith and quell my inner turmoil to a minimum. But there is always a dull ache in my heart, a wound that never quite seems to heal, a hole in my soul that, on days like today, seems to swallow me. And that is okay . . .

I believe when you lose a child there is a protective numbness that becomes part of your being. For awhile this detachment helped me function, but it also dulled my senses. It shielded me from pain but it also robbed me of joy. It was a way to cope and move forward with my loss without succumbing to the many debilitating forms of grief. Slowly I have come to understand it is not healthy to live in a numbed existence, to bottle up grief; it needs somewhere to go. Allowing myself a time and place to grieve deeply is a way for me to break out of the numbness and be true to myself. So especially today I choose to grieve. I choose to allow my profound sorrow to wash over me, to remind me of what I have lost. I do not do this to feel sorry for myself or encourage pity. I do this because I loved and still love my son, with all of my mother’s heart. I ache for his physical presence. I mourn the future I would have had with him. I do this to feel, really feel all of the raw emotions both sad and happy because you cannot have one without the other. Today is a difficult and heartbreaking day. It is also a day I more fully remember Dallin and everything he lived for. As I continue to set my grief free, I will look for opportunities to honor Dallin’s memory by sharing his examples of service, love and unrestrained enthusiasm with everyone I meet.

Happy Angelversary my precious son.
Yo Mama loves you.Dallin James Hunt

Another November, Another Opportunity – The Dallin Difference Part III

On By HeartofHuntIn Gratitude, Hope, Loss of a Child, Service, thedallindifferenceLeave a comment

Homeless 2

When Dallin was in his teenage years, he began to complain about his hands and feet hurting whenever the temperatures dropped. His fingers and toes would go numb and swell up, making it difficult to do many of the things he loved . . . hunting playing hockey, snowboarding or working outside. We finally took him to the doctor and found out he had a mild case of Raynaud’s Syndrome. (Nothing serious, just bothersome.) After learning about his condition we made sure he had adequate cold weather gear, especially a good pair of gloves. A warm pair of gloves made all the difference for Dallin.

With November knocking on our door and winter just around the corner, memories of Dallin and his cold hands, make me smile and make me cry. November holds within its 30 days, many hallowed and heavy milestones. November 3, the day he was born. November 8, the day of his accident, November 21, the day Heavenly Father called him home. And of course Thanksgiving, a day to show our gratitude for all that God has blessed us with, even the things we don’t recognize, quite yet, as blessings. November with all of its beautiful fall leaves, pumpkin patches, apple cider and wonderful family traditions . . . is still a difficult month for all of us, who know, love and miss Dallin. So each November we intensify our efforts, to honor his memory and remember the difference he made in countless lives. We turn to acts of service to transform our grief into something positive.

We call it “THE DALLIN DIFFERENCE.”

            Last year, around Christmastime, I had an eye-opening, heart-changing experience; I saw homeless people of all ages trying to stay warm in the bitter cold. The majority of them did not have gloves. Since then, a little idea has been poking and prodding me into some kind of action and I think this is the perfect time of year to set it free! This is the time of year we start preparing for the winter, right? What if we go through our winter clothing bins and closets and donate one or two or more pairs of gloves? -OR -What if, when we are at the store buying a new pair of gloves, we buy two and donate the second pair? -OR- Heck! What if we went and bought a pair of gloves, not because we needed them but just because we can . . . and donated them? It’s such a simple thing! Yet it would mean so much to a pair of freezing, sometimes forgotten hands!! If each of us donated even one pair of gloves, think about how many people we could help! This is just one of a million ways to make a Dallin Difference.

PLEASE JOIN US. SPREAD THE WORD, START COLLECTING GLOVES!

CHECK BACK HERE or on FaceBook @ thedallindifference.

WE’LL LET YOU KNOW WHERE DROP OFF BOXES ARE BEING SET UP.

#thedallindifference #dallinshands #generoushands #togetherwecanmakeadifference #hope4hunt #warmhandsforall #fightlikeadragon