By Erica Thomas, managing editor
TRUSSVILLE — They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, a picture was worth much more than words for Charlaine Houston.
Six months after the disappearance of her daughter, Paighton, Charlaine Houston is fighting through sorrow with her faith. Looking back on the two weeks prior to the discovery of Paighton’s body in a shallow grave behind a house in Hueytown, Houston said there is only one way to explain how she herself survived the ordeal.
“God has been good to us,” Houston said. It has been difficult but through our trials and our pain, God has gotten us through.”
For many parents, the loss of a child is unimaginable. Of course, nature would be for the child to bury the parent, not the other way around. And in this particularly unnatural scenario, Houston said you never know how strong you are until you have no other choice.
“You don’t ever think you’re going to have to walk that path and when you do, you are put to the fire,” she said. “It’s an incredible journey. It’s so painful, but God can get you through it.”
In life, we sometimes come across a Bible verse or a saying that sticks. For Houston, her inspiration has been from these simple words: What you experience, you become passionate about.
Houston said before her very public experience, she was not as outspoken as she has become. But during her struggles she has recognized the opportunity to help others, an opportunity she can’t deny.
“This has really taken me out of my comfort zone,” said Houston. “But God is my comfort zone and He’s given me a way to do it.”
If sharing is caring, Charlaine Houston cares a lot. She is using her unimaginable pain to share her faith in God and to help others heal from their pain.
Looking back on the pain she experienced, she said she will never forget how hard it was. In fact, she hopes her faith in God while moving on from a true life crisis, doesn’t give others the impression that she didn’t feel a devastating loss. Some of the hardest moments now are walking into Paighton’s room and seeing her dog mourn the loss of her best friend.
Paighton Houston was last seen alive on Friday, Dec. 20, 2019. Within hours, Charlaine Houston said she knew something was wrong. She said with one photo, God let her know that Paighton was already in her eternal home.
“I went that next day, on Dec. 21 and looked for a picture and I picked up one that morning,” said Houston. “I was falling apart and this picture of her was there. It was her beside a pillow that said ‘home’ on it. Normally when I look at that picture, I see Paighton’s face. But I mean my eyes went straight to that pillow and I just felt the peace come over me.”
That peace from God carried the Houston family through the next two weeks.
“There were people in our house during that time,” Houston remembered. “God provided a lot of prayer warriors and this thing went viral. I knew then that God was doing something.”
People from all around the world reached out to Houston. She said she had Facebook messages from people across the nation and the world.
“It’s bigger than us and it’s bigger than Paighton,” said Houston. “It’s going to be for the better of people.”
Houston said she is comforted by knowing her daughter is in a better place. She believes others will be helped through her family’s painful experience.
“The loss creates a void,” she said. “That is the human part of us. When you have a loss of a child, God can give you the peace to go on. He can give you the comfort to know that we can get through the day. It’s okay to cry and it’s okay to mourn, but it’s also okay to put one foot in front of the other and try to move forward.”
Houston said it’s important to cling to the small but powerful things that God sends to anyone mourning the loss of a loved one.
“It’s incredible even the little things that bring me comfort,” Houston said. “I might be feeling like I am about to cry and I’ll get a phone call from someone just checking on us.”
In fact, Houston said the support and the love shown from the community was overwhelming for her family.
As the Houston family continues to grieve a great loss and wait for more answers about what happened to their sweet, loving Paighton, Charlaine Houston will continue to inspire others through her faith.