Sadness and thankfulness

I have felt so much sadness this last week.

Last week one of my very best friends lost their very beloved family dog to an accident. Her daughter was so devastated, crying for hours on end, and saying that her doggie was the only thing that made her happy.

My hubby's aunt passed away over the weekend.

Yesterday a very good friend from school lost his father. This coming on the heals of the first anniversary of his Momma's passing on July 4th last year. He is obviously lost and very numb right now.

Today, a prayer request for a fellow BLM (babyloss Mom) whose hubby and rainbow daughter were involved in a terrible car accident yesterday and both had very bad injuries. While her hubby sustained 9 broken bones, her little baby girl was in serious condition and had a lot of swelling to her brain. Not even two hours ago, she updated that they had to let her little 2 month old baby go. Her title "It's Over".

My heart has been aching over and over for my friends and people I don't even know for the pain they are going though. I want to break down, I want to curl up in a ball, I want to cry out, Why do these people have to suffer like this!? I can't do that.

I have to be thankful. I am thankful for all the memories these people were able to share, even if for a little while with their loved ones. I am going to be thankful for them because I know it may be hard for them to be thankful right now. I need to be thankful because I am blessed. While I know the loss of a beloved pet and I know the loss of my children, I do not know the loss of a parent and I have never lost a child to the kind tragedy and sudden loss this woman knows.

I choose gratitude! Even in sadness I choose to be grateful! I am blessed! and I pray for the pain to ease and for peace to come over these people that they will think of their memories and choose love and be thankful too. Eventually.

And in the true fashion of life itself, a new rainbow came in to the world last night. One family said goodbye to their rainbow and another family said hello. Sigh, we are amazing creatures that we can hold so much sadness and so much gratefulness in our hearts at the very same time.