In Memory...

There are many ways I could describe Lacy Jordan Layton. To me, she was someone who could make absolutely anyone cheer up just by being in the room with you. Her smile and vibrant personailty were that amazing. Lacy was the very best friend that Emily had. I always hate being away from my family and not being able to be there if something happens, right then, but it always helped knowing that Lacy was there for Emily if anything happened.

A month ago yesterday, my cousin lost her grandparents. Lacy and I were there for her the entire time. During the funeral, Emily sat with the family and Lacy and I, we sat together. It is very hard knowing that tomorrow I will be at another funeral and she will be there, but not right beside me, holding on to my arm crying along with me. Instead she will be looking down on us all, safe in Heaven.

I may not be as close to her as she was to other people, but I do consider her my best friend. We told each other that we were each other's best friend from (insert town we live in here). We have not gotten to spend a lot of time together these past few months but I really hope she knows that I love her. I am grateful for being able to have her in my life. Lacy truly is an amazing person.

I really do not understand why this had to happen. I never will. Maybe it is better that way. Maybe it is better if I don't know. I know she is in a much, much better place than we are. In a way I feel selfish, wanting her here with us. We were all hoping for a miracle, and maybe what we got was a miracle. She never has to suffer and she is happy.

Tomorrow will be an extremely hard day for many people. Lacy was close to so many and had an impact on the lives of everyone that she came in contact with. She will NEVER be forgotten. None of us will ever allow that to happen.

Lacy will always live on. She was an organ donor and she was able to give someone the most amazing gift you can recieve: the gift of life. Although it was her time to go, she gave someone else a second chance.

Everyone, please tell people that you love them. Life should not be taken for granted. In the blink of an eye, it could be gone. Don't wait to tell someone that you love them, don't make yourself wonder if they know that you love them.

In loving memory of Lacy Jordan Layton.
She is our guardian angel.
<3

Past, Present, and the Future.

People often get caught up in their future. Sometimes we all tend to base our happiness on the "I'll be happy when..." mindset. We have all done it at one point or another. I know that many teenagers do this. Especialy when talking about what they are planning on doing after high school. We all cannot wait for graduation and you can always hear someone saying that they will be happy WHEN they graduate from high school. So, you aren't happy now?

I, myself, have aspirations and goals that I would like to achieve. Sure, I'll be happy when I achieve those things. But I am also happy now. It's all a matter of perspective. You may not have the ideal situation or surroundings and if you don't, reach out. If you have no one personally to reach out too, reach out to God. He is ALWAYS there for you. Even if others are not, God is there just WAITING for you to reach out to him. That is what he wants.

At the same time, some people do not think to the future, they think towards their past. They may have made a mistake that they cannot get over. We have all made mistakes. Every person on this Earth cannot say that they haven't because we all have. But to some people, it is something tremendous. They refuse to let themselves be happy because of this.

The past and future are very important components to your life as you know it today. But they should not overwhelm your life so that you can not focus on living your life TODAY. To many times people have let these two different time periods in their life take over and control them. If you have made a mistake that you have not forgiven yourself for, do it. God has forgiven you. Why can't you forgive yourself? Let it be a lesson to yourself to act differently. Possibly change your life and act differently if you made a mistake and want to change something. But live your life. If you are wishing, waiting, and hoping for the future. Take a look around. God has given us this beautiful place with more than we would ever need. Use it. Thank the Lord that you are here today to celebrate this thing called LIFE!

Sure, it's okay to hope for a better tomorrow but shouldn't you be happy for what God has given you?