kristaphillips 
My Facebook has been sprinkled with shiny little posts of thanks all month. I LOVE IT… especially on the heels of months of political screaming at each other. It has been a nice reprieve!
I haven’t joined in on the daily dose of thankfulness though. Not due to lack there of, but mostly out of fear of forgetting and not wanting to add “update facebook thankfulness status” to my already very long to-do list each day.
But I can’t end the month without thanking some very special people.
Annabelle’s heart donor family.
I don’t know who they are. Not sure if I ever will. But without their decision to allow life to happen out of great tragedy, my family’s life would be vastly different.
Annabelle would no longer be here.
My sweet two year old would not be doing things like sneaking into the goldfish and “licking” them off the floor…
Or toddling around the house like she owns the place…
Or getting mad at her sisters when they won’t let her watch a movie that she wants…
Or giggling when she plays with her all-time favorite toy, the snuggle ball…
Or running up to Momma and giving me a half-second snuggle, then running off to play again…
Without their choice to give life, I’d be experiencing none of these very miraculous things.
It is a hard concept to grasp, honestly. One I wrestled with those three months Annabelle was on the transplant list. How can I be thankful that my daughter lives when someone else is mourning such a deep, uncomprehendable loss?
But… on the flip side, how can I NOT be thankful?
A small part of a life that ended too soon still beats on in my daughter. To NOT be thankful for such a miraculous thing would be tragic in itself. To NOT be thankful for the choice that family made would be horrific.
So, I choose to smile at the life before us. At the good God has brought from the bad. My heart overflows with gratitude that I could never adequately express.
Thank you, sweet family. You are forever loved, and your precious little one is forever remembered in our hearts.
I love how you honor the donor family, Krista, and how you appreciate the difficult decision they made. In the midst of their heart-wrenching loss, they gave the gift of life.
I'm an organ donor and like thinking that if anyone can use what I would no longer need, I've taken the steps to make that possible.
Very special and sweet post, Krista. I'm glad I stopped by. It's a great reminder, as well, that I have so much to be thankful for!
Cue tears. This totally brought them on. Thankful for you and your Annabelle and this family who chose to give life in the midst of a tragedy I can't even begin to fathom.
wow. just wow.
Great Post! and I love her big Beautiful smile in the picture.
Beautiful!
beautiful post! would you like to meet them some day?