A LIFE WELL LIVED.

It’s not often I share something like this, but when I feel prompted, I want to follow God’s leading.   He’s given me this platform to use for His Glory and to do His good works and I want be obedient to that.

If you’ve ever enjoyed cupcakes from our Bake Shoppe or purchased a wooden sign at Plume there’s a good chance you’ve experienced the Hastings Family to a degree.

I hired her when she was just 17.   She just turned 19 this year.Bethany, 20, is Allison’s older sister and one of our makers, the artist behind Simply Blessed wood signs.

She was just 45 (younger than me) and leaves behind not only Allison, Bethany and Kaitlyn  but also three younger children, Madalyn, Lydia & youngest Luke, just entering Kindergarten.Kristina was a loving wife to her husband Jeff, a physical therapist and Pastor here in Columbia.  She loved to scrapbook, decorate her home, homeschooling her children and most of all the Lord.

I remember meeting the Hastings family in my earliest days at Plume.  They heard about the shop through a mutual friend who was one of my original makers and being a family of crafters enjoyed visiting often.  I remember Kristina’s kindness and her smile and how she loved walking through the shop, most often with several of  her girls in tow.

It was a no brainer for me to hire Allison when I received the sweetest email from her after I originally posted about hiring a baker and she has been a true gift to me.   I didn’t take it lightly that her parents trusted her in my care and I can’t help but think of her like a daughter.  Bethany joined us with her art not long after and Kaitlyn worked with us for a bit this summer.   These girls are so young to have lost someone so precious, not to mention their three younger siblings.

It really hits home when you watch someone younger than you face the unthinkable.  Kristina was only 45 and her diagnosis came quick in July.  I was heartbroken hearing the news, from Jeff himself, because he was unsure Allison would be able to tell me on her own.   Stage 4 Colon Cancer which had already spread to her liver.   There would be no treatments or surgical options available for her.   She trusted her life in the Lord’s hands and she passed away on November 4th.

If you would like to know more about Kristina and how she lived and loved, Jeff shared the most beautiful words about her during her funeral service which was recorded and available to watch on Youtube HERE.

Ultimately the last 2 weeks of her life were spent in the hospital and significant medical bills were incurred.   There has been a Go Fund Me account set up for the family to help ease the financial burden.
If you feel led, you can contribute to this fund HERE.

My heart aches for this family.  I’m blessed to know her girls and I hurt for them.   But I also know how much they love the Lord, and are comforted that Kristina is healed and rejoicing in his presence.

Thank you to everyone who came to the Open House last week.  It was such fun.  (I Have yet to draw the giveaway winners but I promise I will SOO And thank you for sticking with me while I attempted to honor Kristina and her sweet family.

I’ll see you behind the counter this week.