I was up all night.  Couldn't sleep.  My mind was racing with so many thoughts.  I just sat up in bed thinking, reflecting my life.  Today I heard some tragic news.  My friend's husband, Jarrod Dearden passed away in a tragic airplane accident last week.  Naturally, when I heard the news I thought of his wife, my friend, Lynette.  She and I were in the same ward in Williams, AZ.  We went to aerobics on Monday's and we would play board games at her house after church.  I remember Jarrod made the best homemade spaghetti sauce.  It was then I learned of boxed breadsticks.....mmmm my favorite!  They were a happy couple.  They seemed to get along so easily and cherish each other.  They had lost a daughter a few years prior, and yet so full of faith and steadfast.  They were/are people to look up to.  I know Lynette is a strong woman and God will bless her and surround her with angels to help carry her through. 

All of this got me thinking, you just never know when this life could end.  When God wants you home, that's it!  What he says goes!  This life is so precious and really, it is a blessing every day we are alive.  This got me thinking.....Am I living my life to the fullest?  Am I making it count?  Would my family and friends know how much I love them?  What would my story be if I were to leave this earth unexpectedly?  Am I cherishing my precious gift of life?  To be honest, I don't think I am.  Then again, does anyone ever really think they are? 
What I know for certain is this... I LOVE my family with all of my heart!  I adore my many nieces and nephews.  I was lucky to have come to the family that I chose or that chose me.  :)  I have been blessed with the most WONDERFUL Friends a girl could ask for.  Really, I HAVE the best friends on this earth!  I love them all.  They are all so different and yet, each of them match a part of me so perfectly.  I know God lives.  I have seen him work miracles in my own life.  I know he loves me unconditionally.  Imperfections and all.  I know I have been blessed immensely in this life.  I have every reason to shout for joy because life is good.  I know that with all I've been given, what's been taken is nothing compared what others have lost.  It's important to count our blessings rather than the sorrows.

I hope that when I leave this earth, I do so with a full and happy heart.  Knowing I made a difference in this world and nobody ever doubts my love for them.  I hope to unwrap the gift of each day with excitement and gratitude.  Sharing my gift with others who are in need and most importantly, so the people in my life know how much I love them. 

I LOVE YOU!
XOXO - Kristie