Thankfulness

I was having a hard time focusing on work this morning.  I miss my monkey.  Ella has been home with me since Wednesday & I loved every second, I didn't want it to end, but it had to.  Work beckoned & the bank account begged.  I sat at my computer dutifully working while my heart runs around, out of sight at Ms. Lacy's house, then news came that rocked my soul. 

The 10 year old son of the Sports Information Director at Abilene Christian University died.  It was expected, he had battled a brain tumor for 2 years.  Yes, he is no longer in pain, and is now being held in the loving arms of Christ Himself and that is reason to rejoice.  Yet, my heart is broken for his parents.  The ache they will carry with them for the rest of their days is unimaginable to me.  I don't know them and I only know of them because he worked in the Lone Star Conference.  Even so, they haven't left my mind all morning. 

I have been posting on Facebook things I am thankful for this month.  Today I am so thankful that sweet Ella is healthy.  Thankful I can hug her.  Thankful that my workday will end and once again I will be reunited with that smiling face in a matter of hours.  I am also thankful that this family will be reunited. The following is a excerpt from an article (go here to read the full article), written before Rex passed where the parents Lance and Jill talk about having a conversation with Rex....

  “I think the thing we’ve known from the start of this, because Rex was baptized when he was 7, he has a relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s real. For a 9- or 10-year-old little boy, it’s real. He knows what’s going on. So the comforting thing for Jill and I is, even if he passes away, we know where he’ll be. We know he’ll be safe. We know he’ll be. (Jill chimes in “He’ll be in a place where he doesn’t want to come back.”) We told him, you’re not going to miss us. You’re not going to miss mommy and daddy or Ashley or Ryan or your grandparents or your friends, anything, because you’re going to be in a place where you don’t think about us. We told him, because this is our belief, that it’s going to be a matter of a couple of seconds before we’re there with him.”

“And (Rex) says, ‘For y’all, it’ll be like a thousand years,’” Jill added.

I hope you'll join me in praying for this family.  I know I'll be hugging Ella a little more when she gets home, and my heart will be filled with thanks that I can & broken because another family cannot.