Jeff and Nan Cottrell’s Validation from their son Austin through Gordon Smith
Posted
-
- Dec
- 19
- 2024
by Elizabeth Boisson
Jeff, Austin and Nan at Great Bass Lake / Gordon Smith
We attended Gordon Smith’s holiday presentation for HPH on 12/16 to help us through a difficult day, the 5-year anniversary of finding out our son Austin had passed. Gordon had not planned on giving any readings, but Austin decided he had to get a message to his parents. About 20 minutes into the presentation Gordon stopped and said he had to give this message:
“Gilbert is here, an older gentleman and he is near a Great Lake – Bassy Lake. He is a grandfather and bringing someone in. He’s with Austin and he’s shouting Nan, Nan, Nan.”
Gilbert is Jeff’s grandfather, and we gave Austin the middle name Gilbert to honor him. Our family cabin is on Great Bass Lake and was one of Austin’s favorite places to go. Austin shouting his mom’s name was so special. Gordon mentioned Austin and Gilbert had a similarity in their mind something we talked about as they were both so kind and mild mannered.
Gordon mentioned the month of November as being important and there was a birthday last month. It was Austin’s golden birthday on November 29th. He mentioned that Austin has quite a mind that can remember things. Austin was known for his incredible memory and would quite often prove us wrong if we challenged him. He mentioned Hwy 51 and riding in the back of a truck. This is the highway we take to our family cabin on Great Bass Lake.
Gordon mentioned the value of tears. This is very significant as Nan closed out her eulogy at Austin’s service with a quote about The Sacredness of Tears:
"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love"
Gordon gave a message to Jeff about the number 11. The number 11 is a very meaningful sign and has been part of our family in sports numbers, screen names and also signs from Austin in Spirit. He mentioned Austin’s kindness and generosity which was spot on. We continue to do random acts of kindness in Austin’s honor.
Gordon then mentioned Austin’s brother as Kev. Austin was very close to his brother Kevin and called him Kev regularly. He then mentioned there will be a baby coming into the family. We just recently found out that Kevin’s wife Jamie is pregnant, and we are expecting our first grandchild in July of 2025. We know Uncle Austin is so proud! Austin finished his message by bringing another beautiful child forward, her name is Ariel. Ariel is the daughter of Ish and Sabina who we were able to spend time with at the recent HPH Conference. Our kids are truly together and rooting us all on. Gordon went on to give them an amazing message from their sweet daughter.
~Jeff Cottrell, Helping Fathers Heal Affiliate Leader and Austin's Dad
Please watch the YouTube video by clicking here.