Giving Thanks

This is what happens when you find out your friend has a brain tumor: You look at the little orange pinch pot your Kindergartner made for you--the one you keep paper clips in--and you think it's the most beautiful thing in the world. You think that if you could take one thing with you to heaven you would choose that little work of art. You hear the demands for more Cheerios and the splash of milk exiting sippy cup and it's music to your ears. You love your husband so much that you feel panicky when he leaves for work and you smell his shirts while you're sorting the laundry. You give thanks to God for every annoying, exhausting, stressful, glorious moment of your life because those moments are reminders you are living.

My friend had surgery to remove her brain tumor. The surgery was a success, and the doctors are optimistic about her recovery. I thank God for His mercy, for giving her to me as a friend, for the time I was able to spend with her over the past weekend. Most of all I thank God for this not-so-subtle reminder to appreciate all I have.

- Tiffany