October 18th. A date I will never ever ever ever forget. The day my little brother Dooley (that boy in the middle in this picture) went home to Heaven. We call this day Dooley Day, or Dooley’s Homegoing because he’s in heaven- his eternal home!
Today marks the 21st year of us being on this earth without Dooley.
In case you’re new here, my brother Ryan “Dooley” * Miller passed away on October 18, 2002 after a terrible car accident on Lakeland Drive in Jackson. He was severely burned in the accident, which was on 10/17, and passed away 24 hours later, on 10/18.
*We called him Dooley because one of the nicknames given to him when he was little was Doodlebug, and my brother Jordan and I couldn’t say that, so we just said Dooley instead and it stuck! And fit him perfectly!
Dooley was 15 when he passed away. Just weeks away from turning 16. A few of his most noteworthy characteristics were his height, his smile, his musical ability, his artistic ability, and his profound book smarts which, by contrast, highlighted his lack of common sense š It was the best combination!! He could take a car engine apart and put it back together with no help and no training, but he couldn’t walk and chew gum! Bless it- he was SUCH a character! Everyone loved him š
This time last year, I went over to my parents’ house to find some fresh pictures of Dooley to share (since I felt like I was recycling the same few for too many years) and I found this newspaper article that just completely took me aback.
How precious is Joseph Queen, and HOW GOOD IS OUR GOD?!!? That article makes me cry every single time. And it reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures I’ve ever heard: Isaiah 45:3 says, āAnd I will give you treasures hidden in the darknessā secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.ā
Treasures. In. The. Darkness.
Silver linings. Unexpected good. Joy though the sorrow. All so we know that God is King over all of time and humanity. A God who loves his kids and shows them little tiny bits of light reflecting on just a few little pieces of glitter in a otherwise completely black room. God is always there. ALWAYS.
On this 21st Dooley Day, I find myself very thankful for the time we had with Dooley. I am reminded to laugh and hug and build up those around me. I’m reminded that I need to do another Reese’s taste test with my kids! (Backstory on the Reese’s HERE, and last year’s taste test HERE!) I’m reminded that Earth is not our home! We have to live each day of life to the fullest! Tell our people we love them. Try to not let those little things upset us as much. Laugh at ourselves š
Here is a talk I got to do a few years back that I still enjoy re-reading this time each year, if you’d like to read it too. God is so present in all the details. My goodness, it’s overwhelming!
I hope you feel the nearness of Jesus on this 21st Dooley Day. I hope that, if you don’t know Jesus, you’d reach out to me! Let’s grab coffee! I hope you’ll go grab yourself a Reese’s product and enjoy it- calorie free!- while #rememberingDooley.
Thanks for being here today š Thanks for remembering Dools with me and our family. I’ll close with some more pictures of him! I wish you a wonderful day!
Happy Dooley Day š
Thank you for this. A special prayer for you and your family today.