Love Does Not End

As the 41st anniversary of my sister, Alena Stevens’ marriage to the love of her life, Mike Stevens arrives, I am saddened, as is the rest of our family, that Alena isn’t here to celebrate it with her soulmate. Since Alena’s passing on April 23, 2025, Mike has gone through all of the normal feelings of grief…sadness, sorrow, loneliness, and that knowledge that nothing will ever be the same again…nothing will ever be quite right again. The “new normal” is not what it’s cracked up to be, and I don’t think anyone ever thought a “new normal” was exactly a good thing anyway. Mike is doing ok though. He is doing a lot of projects with our brother-in-law, Mike Reed, who is married to my sister Caryl. They recently installed a deck and a new door at Caryl and Mike’s house. Mike is making himself get out there and join in the activities of the family. That is so important, and I am very proud of Mike’s determination. Alena wouldn’t want him to just disconnect from the family.

Alena and Mike had almost 41 years of marriage, and of course their years of dating. They met when they both worked at Shellabarger Chevrolet, and the rest was history. They were taken with each other from the very start. Theirs was a wonderful life. They traveled. They loved car races, and so they went to some of the big raceways. Alena’s happy place was always the lake, and they camped at various lakes as much as they could in the summer, even having Stevens Family Competitions, complete with trophies and all. They made many good friends and spent blessed time with family. They were a close family and loved each other very much. Alena had a flair for decorating, and their home was stunning. Mike made sure that everything was kept in good working order. Together, they took care of their house, making it a home for their three kids, Michelle Miller, Garrett Stevens, and Lacey Killinger.

As the children grew up, life began to change. Garrett married Kayla Smiley, and soon they had two daughters, Elliott and Maya. Then, Michelle married Matt Miller. Lacey met and married Chris Killinger, and Chris brought children, Brooklyn and Jaxon into the family, making the grandchildren count four. They were so happy. Of course, there is still room for more grandchildren, possibly in the future…there’s always room for more grandbabies. While their life was a beautiful thing to see, now that Alena is in Heaven, it’s hard for me not to think about the things she is missing. Things like watching her grandchildren grow up and knowing any future grandchildren. These are things that Mike will do alone now, but he will also tell them about their grandmother; as will their kids, Michelle, Garrett, and Lacey; and their spouses, Matt Miller, Kayla Stevens, and Chris Killinger. It also makes me sad that Alena’s family will miss out on a future with her. It’s hard to make sense of it all. Cancer is such a cruel disease. As we work through our feelings, we are learning to think less about how sad we are and more about how happy Alena is in Heaven. There is no sadness in Heaven, and that helps us a little bit.

I know that the love Mike and Alena created together was a lasting, forever kind of love. They were a match made in Heaven, and while Mike lives on Earth and Alena lives in Heaven now, they are still soulmates. I read a story by a woman who lost her daughter to cancer, and the last line seemed perfect here too, “Love does not end when breathing stops.”