Well, we have been through one long, long year. And we made it.

We still have good days and bad days, ups and downs, we laugh, we cry, we sob. We pray for the kids who were with Kurt on that day. We pray for his friends who weren't.

Some days I feel sorry for myself and somethimes I think, "Why NOT us?"

Kurt was a great kid. He wasn't perfect. He sassed his parents, fought with his brother and sister and teased his cousins. But we was a great kid. I've tried to find out things about him from friends and kids at school. Sometimes I'm jealous of them having more of his time than I had. But I think I saw the truest Kurt of all.

He loved to laugh. In school I think he was pretty serious or quiet during class. Not always, I know. But here, alone with me, he loved to laugh. Most days he was on the couch, playing PS2 or watching sports.

It was tough to walk into the living room to see that empty couch. His feet weren't on the coffee table. He wasn't petting the dog with one hand while eating hot pockets with the other.

Sometimes he'd head up to his room early at night, and what was he doing???? When he was bored, he'd do sit-ups and push-ups!

I miss hearing him say, in his deep voice, "Mom, I'm hungry." His voice was low even when he was little. We've been watching some old home videos which make us laugh and cry. I'm so glad we have them. SO glad.

God is still good. All the time. No matter what we face, no matter what we have to go through. He still loves us and is good all the time.

My thoughts jump around quickly. I have a hard time focusing for any length of time.

We have a new Pastor at our church, and I'd like to invite any of you, especially those who don't go to a church, to come to ours. 9:00 a.m. Sundays. Yeah, it's early, but God's ALWAYS awake, so time means nothing to Him.

I thought of that a lot one day....maybe today we ought to celebrate Kurt's 365th day in heaven. But he doesn't even know or care that it's been a year!! He's just enjoying EVERY minute of it.

I long for the day to see him again. What a great reunion. What a day that will be.

On this incredibly difficult day, we have a huge game tonight. With Kaisa playing basketball in the quarter finals, we have something to look forward to. GO GLADS !!

If you see us on the street, in the school, at a game....don't hesitate to talk about Kurt with us. He's pretty much always on our minds, and we know you think of him, too.

This community we live in has been an amazing support for us throughout this entire year. Again, we thank you. Thank you seems so small compared to ALL of the kindness, support and compassion you've shown. It has been amazing to see the unity that happened. God is still using Kurt's death for His glory and I praise Him for that.

Our God is an awesome God.

We thank you for all of your prayers for us and continue to need them. From what I hear from other parents who have lost a child, we will need that prayer support forever.

Kurt, until then. I love you. mom

Thinking of Kurt

Now that March is here I think of Kurt more than ever.
The time in the hospital, the visitation, the funeral, the burial.
I try to focus on the positives.
All the tremendous support from family and friends and even strangers.
I think of all the great memories of Kurt's life.
The football games, playing catch with the baseball, (me busting the car window), the pony rides, the wrasslin'. and watching Vikings games.
The way he told jokes.
The million ways he made us smile.
And how proud he made us all.

On March 8th, I plan to watch some of Kurt's football games again on DVD.
On March 17th I plan to weep. again.
I miss him so much.
Steve

Bleachers at Gitche Gumee in Kurt's Memory

The bleachers have arrived at Gitche Gumee.
We will be getting a plaque to put on them in Kurt's memory.
They are set up and were used today for the first time.
Thank you to each and every one who donated money for this fitting memorial.
There couldn't have been anything else more appropriate for Kurt who loved sports so very much. It's the perfect place to have them; here where he spent so much of his summer each year.
Thank you especially to Erin Robinson for heading it up and to Beth Yates for the great idea!!!

We will finish our 8 week stay here at Gitche tomorrow. It will be hard to leave but there are other things that need our attention. I am reminded of a saying, "Don't be sad that it's over, be glad that it happened."
We are so thankful that God brought us to Gitche and gives us the priviledge of serving Him here year after year.

anna

Kurt would have been 14 on Sunday, 7/27/08

My thoughts and prayers are with Anna, Jerry, Daniel and Kaisa. Love, Steve

Anna back at Gitche Gumee Bible Camp

Hi,
We survived the first week of kids at Gitche. We cooked for about 95 people and all went pretty well. Except the Chinese sponge cake. That didn't turn out so well. It is international week for the kids camps. Chinese night was our worst attempt. It was edible, but not great. Jerry came up today on the motorcycle. He figures it only costs about $15 round trip! Daniel took it for a ride the other day when he first came up. It is a nice bike.

I'm pretty tired out at the end of each day. I try and take Sandy for a walk, work my 6-7 hour shift andvisit a little and go to a service here and there. Busy busy busy. Next week there will be some kids who knew Kurt and it may be a little harder. It wasn't too bad this week, although I had my usual cries.Jerry and Kurt were usually home still this week anyway for baseball, so it wasn't so different. But the next 2 weeks might be harder as more kids his age will be here. One day at a time.....
I love you all. talk to you soon. anna

Bleachers for Kurt! $1,625 surpasses goal

Thanks to your donations Gitchee Gumee Bible Camp will put up bleachers at the field in memory of Kurt. Donations of $1,625 have surpassed the goal of $1,500. Thank you!

TEAM MEMBERS HONOR FALLEN COMRADE

On Monday May 12th the Jr. High Track team hosted their only home meet of the season, the Ontonagon Invite. With the completion of the last event,after enduring a cold and competitive day, the entire team gathered atcenter field. They unfurled a large banner of Kurt Blake, a teammate who died earlier this year as a result of a skiing accident. Hoisting the banner, they solemnly marched in front of a standing, respectful crowd who applauded them as they made their way around the track. At the end of the lap, many hugs and tears were shared between the teammates and Kurt's parents, Jerry & Anna Blake. Shortly thereafter the announcement came that both the Boy's & Girl's teams had won the meet. This was very fitting as the meet was dedicated to Kurt's memory.

The consensus of the team was, "Kurt would want us to do our best. We did it for him."

Many thanks to Pastor Paul for this article and photo.