In the Blink of an Eye

My heart is heavy at this minute over the passing away of a complete, but beautiful, stranger. I was going through my daily reads this morning while sipping my coffee. I visited Picket, who has an amazing blog, and the title of her post was pray, people, pray.

She had gotten a comment from another blogger asking for prayers for the family of this young mother of four who had unexpectedly passed away from a stroke. The mother's site was The Thrifty Chick. I went to Thrifty Chick's blog and read a touching memorial posted by Thrifty Chick's little sister. My heart just went to the floor. She was mother to four children, the youngest only a few weeks old. The grief that family is bearing is unimaginable for me.

I like reading other blogs to keep up with the every day lives of my family and blog friends, to get ideas, recipes and, oftentimes, just a good laugh. But as it turned out today, I got a reminder. A reminder that we're not promised anything. Not another year, week, day, minute or second. I take each and every one of those for granted, just assuming that they'll roll around for me just as they've always done. How do you not do that?

The young mother over at Thrifty Chick was beautiful and obviously, by the content of her posts, very, very talented, both in craftiness and managing her time. Not to mention being a very devoted mom. If tragedy could befall upon her, who am I to assume that I'm immune from it?

I complain about work. I complain about traffic. I complain about things being messy. I complain about bugs. I complain about having too much to do and not enough time. I complain about getting a speeding ticket because of I'm daydreaming. And the list goes on and on. Complaining and taking for granted the very day that I'm complaining in.

I'm so thankful that God doesn't expect perfection from me and doesn't want it from me. Nor does He want me to expect or want it from others. I do believe, though, that He doesn't want me to take his daily blessings for granted as something that I'll be given just because I always have.

So today I'm thankful. Thankful to wake up. Thankful to be able to sip my coffee. Thankful for two sons to make messes. Thankful for a husband to make the coffee. Thankful to have too much to do and thankful to have the strength to do it.

I know that those that come to my blog are praying people. We're of different faiths and religions, but we love the same God. I ask that today, in memory of Thrifty Chick, we be thankful. And even more importantly, to lift up her, no doubt, brokenhearted husband and family.

As her beautiful blog spells out in black and white, life can change in the blink of an eye.