Being Grateful In All Things

Many of you know that I have lost some friends over the past few years to terrible diseases.  I know those women are experiencing more joy, life and freedom than they have ever known before, now that they are in their Heavenly home.

Once in a while I come across something that reminds me of them and that brings a smile to my face.  My sweet friend, Sherri, went home to the Lord this past October.  This is one of the last things she posted on Facebook 2 weeks before her death.  She knew her time on earth was being measured in days or weeks at this point and this is what she wrote:

“LIVE EVERY DAY YOU have breath! LIVE IT and APPRECIATE that GOD ALLOWED YOU THE day in which to live. Thanks to my honey for taking me out for some of the best seafood this gal has encountered. THANK you God!”

When Sherri wrote these words she was very ill and only able to leave the house occasionally for very quick trips.  She knew there was no possibility of healing this side of Heaven.  She told me she knew her race here on earth was done.  In one of my last conversations with her I asked her what she wanted people to remember.  She said, “I want people to remember to be grateful in ALL things.”

When I read that Facebook post, I see someone who was still filled with joy, someone who was still grateful for every breath she was allowed even in the face of death.  In those moments Sherri was teaching all of us how to live and how to die.

What a precious reminder for me today.  Each day is a gift and I can choose how I will live it.  Today I choose to live being grateful for all God has done for me and appreciating the fact that He even allowed me to wake up.

Thank you, Sherri, for being such a powerful teacher in this life!  I’m looking forward to celebrating with you again in eternity!