Stephanie Rippee Memorial

We are deeply grateful to receive memorial gifts in honor of Stephanie Rippee, a longtime Daystar friend.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/nashville-tn/stephanie-rippee-10593323

Stephanie grew up in Memphis and later Nashville, Tennessee and graduated from St. Bernard Academy in 1989. She attended Lambuth College in Jackson, Tennessee, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications in 1993. While in college, she was a member of Sigma Kappa Sorority. She held numerous jobs, in commercial finance and retail sales, over her career.

Stephanie was an enthusiastic football fan and particularly loved the Tennessee Titans and the Ole Miss Rebels, the school her brother, sister-in-law and nephews attended. She attended many Ole Miss sporting events with her family. She was a sweet and gentle soul; a devoted daughter, sister, sister-in-law, niece, cousin and aunt; and a loyal friend. Although it is comforting that she is now in the presence of her Lord and Savior, her presence on earth will be intensely missed by the family and friends who knew and loved her.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents Theo and Lina Rippee and Woodrow and Virginia Bond; her uncles Leslie, Lloyd, Sonny and Gerald Rippee, Bryce Bond and Ernest Reece; her aunts Donna Noe and May Hood; and her cousin Justin Shields.

She is survived by her parents Doyle and Virginia Rippee of Nashville, TN; her brother and sister-in-law Brian and Stephanie Rippee of Jackson, MS; her nephews Davis Rippee and Walker Rippee of Jackson, MS and Brian Scott Rippee of Dallas, TX; her aunt and uncle Martha and Howard Shields of Frisco, TX; her cousin John Shields and his wife Jaquelyn of Frisco, TX; her aunt Neva Dean Reese of Charleston, MS; and many more cousins and second cousins scattered throughout Mississippi.

The family would like to thank all of Stephanie’s healthcare providers for the excellent medical care she received during her illness.

A Celebration of Life service will be held Friday, March 4, 2022 in the chapel at Woodmont Christian Church at 11am with Dr. Clay Stauffer officiating. Inurnment at the Woodmont Christian Columbarium will immediately follow the service.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to Daystar Counseling Ministries, Inc., 2801 Azalea Place, Nashville, TN 37204.

January 2022 Thank You

My all time favorite book is “The Secret Life of Bees.” It’s the story of a young girl who finds shelter in the company of three sisters, beekeepers, who love her through a very difficult time, helping her make sense of her past and some peace with her reality. My copy of the book is tattered, littered with highlighted and underlined passages. Upon re-reading it for the umpteenth time, these words landed on me in a fresh way: “Most people don’t have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. Bees have a secret life we don’t know anything about.”

Isn’t the same true with families? Each day my coworkers and I are reminded that the lives of the Daystar families are complex. From the first interaction with our front office to assessments to individual sessions, we bear witness to the difficulties and inner workings families navigate. As our clients and their parents spend time in our house, we offer shelter and do our best to enter into the complex.

The book's heroine is a young girl. In her plainspoken way, she explains what the beekeepers have done for her: “The world will give you that once in awhile, a brief timeout; the boxing bell rings and you go to your corner, where somebody dabs mercy on your beat-up life.”

Couldn’t we all use a brief timeout now and then? Couldn't’ we all stand to have someone come to us in our brokenness and woundedness and dab mercy on the tender places in our hearts? Daystar is a place for timeouts—timeouts from life. With your support, we throw the door open wide for those who feel as though their “beat-up” lives are in need of repair. I think of Daystar as a house full of “mercy dabbers.”

Thank you for partnering with us as we enter into the complex. We consider you to be those who grant the brief timeout, who ring the boxing bell and encourage our clients to go to their corner, where we are, God-willing, ready to dab all the mercy we can muster on their precious lives. We are the brief timeout, the place where children are given a chance to pause from the fight and experience mercy and grace and a healthy dose of the truth—they are valuable and loved.

Your support means everything to us,

Amy Jacobs, M.MFT

December 2021 Thank You

I recently spent time with two different boys in the same day communicating something identical. One is a 7th grader and one is a Junior in high school. Both are navigating the complicated developmental space of adolescence. One is on the front side of  adolescence and the other is in the middle.

I’ve always believed being a teenager was difficult. I’ve never believed it more than in this day and age. As I write this, the U.S. Surgeon General just issued an advisory to highlight the current youth mental health crisis and to call for urgent action. Our country is seeing the highest rates of anxiety and depression in kids and adolescents than any other time in history.

The young men I spent time with talked about what it’s like to face what they are facing, and how alone they often feel alone in it. Adolescent boys aren’t often skilled in sharing their struggle with others. It’s difficult for them to articulate their experience, but it’s never been more important for them to learn to do so.

Both these young men are part of  different groups at Daystar. They are learning to be honest about how they are doing in the company of a safe group of guys. They talked about how almost no one at school knows what’s really going on in their lives but all the guys in group do. One of them described feeling “alone” at school and “surrounded” at group. The other young man, describing the same difference, said its like “night and day.” 

When I consider the phrase “night and day,” I think about why we celebrate this season. A baby arrived and everything changed. Night and day. We no longer walk in darkness without hope. As Daystar seeks to reflect all the arrival of Jesus means for us and how that night changed everything, we get to anchor kids who are struggling and feeling alone to hope.

Thank you for helping us offer that hope in the midst of a youth mental health crisis happening all around us. You are helping us create a night and day difference in the lives of countless kids and adolescents. We couldn’t do the work we’re doing without you surrounding us.

With much gratitude and Merry Christmas,

David Thomas

Director of Family Counseling

September 2021 Thank You

I’m writing to you as a boys' counselor at Daystar. I wanted to share a bit about how your generosity changes lives from the perspective of my therapist chair… Your donation to Daystar allows kids and their families to experience the life-long process of growing into the wholeness our Creator designed. Through interactions with staff and counselors, moments at Daystar create an enduring impact to families…Kids and parents alike gain skills that allow movement past a world full of obstacles. 

Just last week, I witnessed one of these moments in group counseling. Several young men were gathered sharing about the struggles in their life. Many of these obstacles were in some way connected to the anxiety that is so prevalent in our time. Then, into this moment, one voice spoke above the others and said “You do not need to worry about failing a class that you are not even taking.” His metaphor fell on all the group reminding them to recall all the times they have overcome struggles and obstacles in the past with each other’s help.

I paused the group and wrote the young man’s statement on the white board. The boys realized that sharing about their anxious thoughts, without hope and perspective, made their problems seem insurmountable. Worry had begun to dominate the room…Until one guy shared a hopeful perspective that chased worry from the room.  He reminded his friends of the skills they had learned, the encouragement they had shared and the times they had fought back against their anxiety. Next thing we knew, they all began telling success stories of overcoming things in school and at home because of Daystar’s constant message undergirded by HOPE. Daystar fosters skills that help move them through the world of obstacles we all face.

This little yellow house is full of people that view each child as sacred. They believe even the most discouraged child has the ability to be empowered by hope and learn invaluable tools to navigate a troubled world. It’s a joy for me to work here day after day.

YOU help make all of this possible. Thank you for sharing in hope with all of us. 

Gratefully,

Don Logan

Daystar Boys’ Counselor & Group Leader

July 2021 Thank You

I’ve been going to Hopetown since the late 90’s, when I was just in elementary school, so it feels like a second home. Currently, I’m fortunate to be one of Hopetown’s visiting summer staff members. It’s hard to imagine a summer away from this place with its cozy lakeside cottages, boats full of children and time together to share meals, share worship and share stories. The kids are asked at the beginning of camp what they are most excited about and inevitably at least half of them say Melissa’s teaching. She teaches about the Bible every morning and evening. This past week, for the 2nd through 4th grade summer retreat, we talked a lot about sheep. Probably like many of you, I’ve heard God described as the good shepherd and believers described as sheep a hundred times – so much so I’ve never paused to really think about what it means.

We were invited to think of ourselves and each other as sheep, and we learned that sheep aren’t just dull farm animals – they are quite special. We learned that sheep are brave when they risk their own safety to protect their friends. They have emotions and can recognize their shepherd’s voice. They are caring and remember one another even though they all look the same to us. They are loyal and stick together, rarely straying from the heard. The campers were given the opportunity to point out these qualities in one another. At the end of each day, they would give each other bells for being patient while waiting their turn to play pickle ball, brave while tubing on the lake or kind by serving their friends at mealtime. 

We talked about sin, too. Like farm sheep, God’s sheep can wander. We can be distracted and unaware. We can be impulsive and push the limits. We can be stubborn and selfish. Melissa’s teaching about the wandering sheep allowed us to look at our sin in a different way. This kinder image gave a lot of credit to an often dismissed animal – in the same way that God cherishes us. When we stray, even if we’re just 1 sheep in 100, He’ll notice and come looking for us. He’ll tell us how much missed us and walk us back home. He’ll say it wasn’t the same without us. Isn’t it the best feeling in the world when someone notices you’re missing and says it just wasn’t the same without you? At Hopetown, we believe this message heals. It heals the wounds of loss, trauma, abandonment and shame. We know this because we see it every day at Hopetown, at Daystar, and we even feel it for ourselves. 

Thank you for giving to Daystar. Because of your support, we can continue to shepherd kids and remind them that their lives matter, they aren’t forgotten and that it just wouldn’t be the same without them. 

Allye Gray, Girls Counselor