Remembering!!

the last few months have been somewhat difficult for my family. this past may my grandmother passed away from medical complications and then in june we tragically lost my aunt in an accidental drowning. for the past few weeks all the girls in my family have been planning an outing to celebrate my aunt's birthday yesterday. i come from a very large extended family and since the death of my aunt we as a family decided that we would get together more often (not just on the holidays) during the year. so yesterday us girls chose the cheesecake factory to celebrate my aunt's birthday. the food was delicious as usual and it was great getting to see everybody; talking about my uncle's new fainting goats (yes that's right i said fainting goats), all the kids (there are 20 all under the age of 19 and we'll be having another one in decemeber), jobs, husbands, and life in general. for me today was a day of reflection. a time to remember all the wonderful things that my aunt did for our family. how she will truly be missed and how much we all love her. life is short. we are not guaranteed tomorrow. God reminds us of this in James 4:14 "how do you know what will happen tomorrow? for your life is like the morning fog - it's here a little while, then it's gone." i have really come to understand this verse over the last few months and i have realized life is too brief to worry about the little things is life and to always remember to tell the ones you love how much you love them. i thought i would post this song "pretty amazing grace" by neil diamond which was one of my aunt's favorite songs. hope you enjoy!!