Top of the week to you, friends! I am excited that another voice will be joining the thankful chorus today, as we enjoy {Thanks}giving Week together. Especially because this girl can sing. 🙂

My dear friend Amanda Avery is sharing with us today! She is a sweetie-pie Southerner with a notable affinity for Christmastime. Amanda is remarkably able to speak her mind with wit, humour and honesty. And she blogs at Seriously. {which I must note is the first blog I noticed getting decked out for the holidays this year} so feel free to click over and read some more! I hope her thoughts will inspire you to find reasons to be Thankful in every circumstance.

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Amanda is a regular woman, wife, mommy, and friend who enjoys good coffee, conversations, and laughter.  Amanda’s blog, Seriously., features her regular musings of everyday life in North Carolina.

I Am Thankful She Was Dying

She had a terminal disease.
She was going to die.
She was going to leave me and everyone else behind to be with Jesus and obtain her perfect body.

Everything within me screamed, “Don’t get too close!  Don’t love her too much! Don’t let your heart get broken when this ride comes screeching to a halt!”

However, for once in my life I ignored that bossy lady who resides in my head and followed my heart.

And I am incredibly thankful she was dying.

As callous as that seems, it forced us to get past the niceties very quickly.  No chit chats or shallow conversations about the weather when Death is tapping his feet in anticipation.  Life was too precious, too pressing, too much.

Wanting to squeeze in every opportunity to talk before the disease took her voice.

Always telling her how much I loved her and valued her because there was no guarantee of a “next time.”

She forced me to get out of my little world and let go of my security blanket of pride and to finally embrace living.

She taught me in just a short while what it really meant to love people.

And what it meant to love life.

And what it meant to love and follow Jesus.

And I am forever thankful.

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Thanks so much for sharing those challenging thoughts with us, Amanda! May we find the strength to be Thankful in the midst of even the most difficult circumstances. It seems like those are places where there is so much wisdom to be learned. Wow and Amen.

xCC