I know I am one of those people that catches myself doing it. I take everything I have for granted, but then I hear something on the news about people's freedom's being suffocated, or people's homes being destroyed in a natural disaster (and the list goes on), and it brings me back to earth. This past week was one of those times; one of the times that I was grateful for my life, my family, and every single second I've been given. Some of you may know, (and some of you may not), that my friend Amanda McLeod was in a horrible car accident on June 10. I went to see her that Thursday, and pray with her family, before I left on Friday for New York. The Sunday after I left for NY, I found out that she passed away. Of course, when I heard the news, all I could do was cry. Why her? She made a mistake that put her in this position, but she was an amazing girl. She was confident, funny, and kinda crazy...but in a way that made you want to be around her. She had a great heart and could easily bring a smile to your face. I admit, we hadn't had a lot of contact since high school, but when we did run into each other, it was as though there wasn't a single second between us; like we just picked up where we left off. Then a few weeks before her accident, she came into the video store and we just started talking. Talking about friends, relationships, work, and everything else you could think of. She said that she'd be getting a new number and she'd give it to me when she got it. About 2 weeks before her accident, she came in and gave me that new number. She told me to call sometime, cuz she thought it would be fun to hang out. Unfortunately, I never did. I got "too busy." I know that she'd still be gone, whether I called her or not, but what I struggle with is the fact that I took her for granted. I figured I would just call her when I got back from vacation. I never thought that she wouldn't make it that long. How many times do we catch ourselves doing that? Putting off a phone call, or a visit because we're just "too busy." How often do we zoom through each day without taking notice of the breath we're given, the sunsets, the sunrises, the grass and everything else, and forget to see them as a blessing? I'm guilty of that, and I'm am going to try my hardest to do that everyday. Even the littlest things count. I owe that to Amanda. We owe that to ourselves. So, please, do me a favor...everyday, when you wake up, take in a deep breath and be thankful for it. Thankful that you're given one more day. Good or bad day, it's one more.
