Jill Peterek Presnal added 2 new photos — with Sydney Lisa Jeter and 2 others.
October 9 at 10:13pm ·
You never know where a sweet note from Sydney will appear to brighten your day. Spread love and kindness. ❤.
Tag Archives: Sydney Jeter
What I used to love I now almost hate
Halloween used to provide so much excitement and happiness for our family. It was one of the holidays we looked forward to..I would have easily said I loved Halloween but now it provides so much pain and emptiness. The last two years we stayed home not really participating in the holiday so when Cameron wanted to join our friends and their family for Halloween I was excited and happy but as the days got closer the emptiness seemed to be continually moving in on me. I will say I fought hard and am very grateful that I got to see my son participate in Halloween for the first time since his sister’s accident. I will never feel the same about Halloween..it takes everything in me not to hate it. It is so hard to continue living for Cameron when I’m dying inside. I couldn’t have made it with out two of my amazing friends who are willing to let us be a part of their families celebration no matter how broken or how bad I’m hurting. Life doesn’t stop and you truly never realize how many holidays there are until they provide pain instead of joy. Thankful God has blessed us with amazing friends who aren’t scared of tears and are willing to love and include us no matter what..
Your greatest contribution to the kingdom may not be something you did but someone you raise
I read something the other day that I wanted to share..It was a statement that said “Your greatest contribution to the kingdom may not be something you do..but someone you raise.” when I read this I immediately thought of Sydney Lisa Jeter Many of you have heard me talk about Sydney’s writings we found after the accident. We made a scrapbook with them and displayed it on the year anniversary of the accident to share with those who came to support and love us. As people read through her writings many asked if there was a way to make a copy of the book to be able to share with others AND….with the help of my amazing sister in law Tanya and three friends Kristi, Cathy, and Marilyn WE DID IT. We made the book as inexpensive as possible, and if you catch the right sale you can get it for about 25 dollars. This book is filled with amazing wisdom and truth that Stacy and I believe will help anyone who choses to read it. She wanted to leave a legacy..In her OWN words she said she wanted to be known for her faith and devotion to God and always trusting him with her life.She wanted to be known as knowledable thoughtful and someone who gives good Godly advice..This is what she wanted her Legacy to be..and what a faithful God to work through her to end up fulfilling her hearts desire. When I think of Sydney’s legacy I will forever be reminded of Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who believed The Lord would fulfill his promises to her.
Thoughts about Sydney’s mission statement
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Sydney’s mission statement. I’ve shared it before as it was in the flyer we handed out at her funeral. It is not necessarily the words that have been consuming my thoughts, but rather the actions she took after she wrote the words..You see what prompted her to write a mission statement in the first place is the book she was reading (Your Hearts Desire by Sheri Rose Shepherd) She didn’t just read the book and move on..she stopped prayed and thought deeply about her hearts desires, found a sticky note and put her hearts mission into words. For some reason my mind doesn’t let me stop here..why? I guess because she didn’t stop there..she didn’t write those words for others..she didn’t write it and post it..actually I found no post that she made referencing her mission statement. So then why did she write it? I keep thinking about that and as I’ve thought about it I’ve learned as much from wondering why she wrote it than I have from the words she wrote..I believe that when I typed her mission statement out..I in a way took away from the beauty of it..So I’m attaching a picture of the original post it note and where she placed it (it’s still in the exact same place today) I believe that it answers the question as to why she wrote it..She wrote it for herself, so that as she got up and faced each day she would be reminded of “her mission”. Sydney placed this sticky note on her mirror because she realized that seeing too much of yourself causes you to lose focus on God and the purpose and mission for your life..She wanted to make sure that when she looked in the mirror she didn’t forget what her life was about. What I find most beautiful is that she wasn’t fooled into thinking it would be easy or that she wouldn’t face temptation or distraction and took the steps necessary to help overcome them in the future by placing this in the one place she knew she would look everyday. I continue to learn each day from the things she wrote and the things she did and consider it a blessing to be a part of sharing her faith and legacy with others. Thank you my sweet girl for leaving me so much of your heart.
Sydney’s War Room
I know I’ve posted this picture before but wanted to post it again after seeing War Room. The movie touched my soul in so many different wa
ys..The majority of Sydney’s life I was lost trying to show her the right way in my own power I can see so clearly now how she suffered because of my mistakes..I thank God for the blessing of never giving up and showing me she needed him and allowing me the chance to see what a difference it made her last two months when our focus was solely on God and I knew no matter how hard I tried if I didn’t have God I couldn’t do it..God faithfully showed me when you give it to him..it becomes beautiful. Proverbs 20:7 comes to mind..unfortunately Ive experienced this scripture through disobedience and obedience..Gods way is truly the only way that will provide peace and true positive change. I’m thankful I was given enough time to apologized to Sydney in person for the mistakes I made in trying to do it on my own. She taught me so much and I’m so grateful. God continues to show me just how passionate she was about being his disciple. The minute Ms Clara showed her “War room” I couldn’t help but think of Sydney’s prayer closet she had made more then 2 years before we even knew about this movie..at only 16 she had cleaned out half her closet made a sitting chair out of a big pillow, two pillow pets and a blanket and that’s where she went to pray and spend time with God. I am so thankful for her and all the amazing gifts of faith she left for me to find. Cameron will have such a better life because we found and followed God for more of his life and because of how much trust and faith his sister had in God. I will forever wonder how many people she would have helped “raise up” for God had she still been here..Although I know she continues to speak through her book. I sure miss her energy and love for God!!
KBTX coverage of I think you’re beautiful project
My heart is overwhelmed at how God places the right people in my life giving me the opportunity to continue to share Sydney’s legacy with others. These cards were an amazing gift given to our family on the 2yr anniversary of Sydney’s accident. Jill Presnal who quietly stayed out of the spotlight today took the beautiful post it note that Sydney had left for me in my bible and made these cards for me with the idea to use them to share Sydney’s heart and love for others. What a blessing! Today I got to see Sydney continue to do what she loved to do which was make people smile and feel loved and I have no doubt she looked down on me and Jill Peterek Presnal smiling. Today I was blessed to share some of Sydney’s love and I hope it continues to spread The link from KBTX covering the story is below
Love getting feedback on how her book affects people’s lives!
I am reading Sydney’s book, I am just reading and reading and I am amazed at what a beautiful soul she is. I’m not a good writer as far as expressing my thoughts, but I am in awe of her! I really am. You and Stacy raised a gorgeous daughter, gorgeous on the outside and on the inside. Just outstanding. I know you are so proud of her. I know because I SAW it when she would visit and every time you spoke of her. Sending you, Stacy and Cameron all my love.
Thank you for the book!! I love it and will cherish it forever.
Settling for less is only temporary
Warning–this post could be upsetting to some due to some specific’s shared..I’ve never spoken openly about these feelings but today I can’t seem to get rid of the feelings or desire to try and explain the unexplainable..Exactly 16 years and 10 months after I held her for the first time and 2 yrs ago today with tears swelling in my eyes I laid my head on her casket for the last time..forced to physically part with her. I will tell you that at the time It was hard for me to view her..I personally fixed her hair and tried everything as I wanted desperately to have an open casket funeral..We had a beautiful eagle embroidered on the inside along with the scripture Isaiah 40:31 but the trauma she had experienced was obvious and unable to be hidden so we had to make the hard decision to close her casket. I thought I would find some peace or comfort in seeing her but It offered me NO amount of peace or comfort, only a deep rooted desire for it..I share those specific feelings from 2 yrs ago to help people understand my feelings today and how missing someone doesn’t get easier it gets harder..today I would handle that moment completely different I would most likely crawl up in the casket and lay beside her holding on as long as I was able to..as time moves on we start to settle for so much less because less is all we have..its sad for me to know that I miss her so bad I would even want that moment back. But that is my truth and my reality. Many things have changed for me over the past two years. I have learned how to live grasping hard to the less I’m offered and have always found ways to make that less as fulfilling as I can. Her spirit never leaves me..her faith fills me with encouragement and hope..but I will forever desire and miss her physically being here crawling all over me every second she could..the road and journey for a parent whose child is in heaven is unending and painful as we will never be truly satisfied with less..it’s impossible and unnatural…I survive because of Gods promises and believing that as he has promised I will spend eternity with so much MORE instead of less.
2 years later
I am beyond overwhelmed, beyond grateful, and beyond blessed to see and be a part of people giving back to my family the love Sydney so beautifully gave to them. It is still unbelievable to me that Friday marked 2 yrs since she left. The emptiness never leaves, what many do not understand is that for us Friday was easier then any other day easier because the one thing that eases and lifts our pain is knowing Sydney was remembered and loved beyond her short life here. Anniversary dates seem to be days others find it most appropriate to share memories, pictures, and time remembering and sharing the legacy she left. I did not spend the day celebrating..I am still human and I will never celebrate her leaving me, but I did spend my day DOING what she would have been doing if she were here. We shared God, shared love, shared food, and enjoyed the pool..with people who love her. Thank you first to a family friend Carlos who graciously cooked and provided the fajitas, for everyone who came out Friday, for all the prayers, and for anyone who showed the world a little bit of Sydney’s love..God never ceases to remind me that he not only has but will continue to shine and create good out of all the bad..It was not possible for me to get pictures of everyone or with everyone but this video includes the ones I was blessed to get..I will load all the individual pics from the slideshow in an album…Sydney Lisa Jeter may the legacy you built and the love you so amazingly gave continue to be shared. You touched so many people’s lives in a positive way and you are still sharing God with people today. Love you forever and always.
Don’t take a moment for granted
My mind is all over the place so many things the last few days reminding me of 2 yrs ago..I miss her so much I feel like I should be laying in my bed crying but every morning I get some kind of notification from her timehop or just a memory I remember of that day and instead of sorrow it fills me with encouragement and the reality of how amazingly blessed I was to have someone who loved like she did..who loved others so much that she did anything and everything to help encourage them and share what she had learned about God..because she reached out and posted on social media or sent a text I’m blessed with a beautiful reminder at the hardest time in my life from her about how amazing our God is, about how much she trusted him and how important faith is..don’t get me wrong tears still fall but they aren’t falling without the hope she left me..2 yrs ago today she totaled her car and walked away giving God all the glory for protecting her..overwhelming and emotional for me to look back on and mainly I want to say..DO NOT TAKE NOT EVEN A MOMENT FOR GRANTED..she walked away from that wreck but was gone forever less than 48 hours later..The day I meet Jesus after thanking him for all he suffered so my sin could be forgiven I will thank him for the precious gift of those two extra days because after almost 2 yrs I realize the value of every second we got with her something we often take for granted. We appreciated every second in those two days telling her over and over how much we loved her how proud we were of her and when we hugged her we hugged with meaning. When you hug your child tonight..realize the gift they are because you aren’t guaranteed to keep them forever. As we approach 2 yrs again I invite you to come help us through the day Friday. I can’t possibly send personal invites so takes this as your invite. You did not have to be her friend or know her some of my biggest blessings are the days I get to tell people who never knew her who she was..We will be sending off sky lanterns from the house at dusk. Hopefully we will see some of her friends but also our own friends it’s a tough journey and there is nothing worse than walking it alone
A Legacy of a Lifetime 