Personal

Life is a very precious thing. It's something we take for granted too often and something that too many of us allow to pass by without enjoying it. It's the little things, an elderly couple holding hands, children laughing, stopping to appreciate the warmth of the sun, sharing an ice cream cone with someone you love. It's why I love doing what I do.

True to life however, is that it's not always sweet. We all experience heartache, disappointment, frustration, and loss. But I believe that these things are also necessary and a very important part of life as well. They help bring perspective in some instances, other hardships let you know that people care and you are truly loved. Working through them makes us stronger and helps us to grow as people. I also believe that all of our hard times only make the sweet moments even sweeter and more precious.

We have recently experienced a very sweet moment in our family when, on December 1st, we found out we were going to have another baby. Our hearts and minds filled with joy and excitement as we told friends and family about baby number two. This week after a visit to the ER we discovered that we lost our little blessing. We would have been 13 weeks today.

Part of what makes life so sweet is being able to celebrate and even mourn with people who care about you. My hope and prayer for you all today is that you would take time to appreciate the people in your life that mean the most to you, the people who make you laugh, who you can cry with, or who just make you smile. Give your kids a hug and be thankful for every moment you have with them. If you don't have children, be thankful for your spouse or special someone. If you haven't found that person yet be thankful for your parents and siblings and certainly for friends.

This picture is of our son Graydon when he was just two weeks old. Next month he will be turning two. This picture always made me smile a peaceful kind of smile. I hope it does the same for you. We appreciate you all. Don't take the life or the moments it gives you for granted.