In loving memory of a father and loved one.

Start being greatful now and not tomorrow, life is too short! This is one of my many motto's in life! 
The story of my dear friend touched me, we never really realise how difficult it is to lose someone until it
happens to us or someone close to us. That is when reality kicks in.. This is her reality.

It's so weird and wrong that a lot of the times when we have a moment of gratefulness, it's when something unfortunate happens either to us or to someone else in our environment. I taught myself to let it sink in everyday how fortunate and blessed I am, but this morning I was taken to a moment of gratefulness because of the loss of a loved one.

A dear friend of mine just lost her father. Wow, that is so much pain in one short sentence. Losing, in this situation, means that someone is out of reach: the term "too late" comes to mind. A million thoughts and emotions are taking over. "What can you do as a friend? How can you show your support? What do you say? What do you do?" and then there is even a natural moment of selfishness that raises the thought "What if it would happen to me?".

It takes you to a moment of intense appreciation of everything you have in life. The people, the ability to do everything you love to do and to even be thankful for the environment you are born in. To me personally, I direct all this thankfulness to God, because He is the one Who provided me with all this. And He is the one Who will continue blessing.

I am so sad for my dear friend. But I know that God is a very present help in time of need. He is our Refuge, our Hiding place, our Comforter and so much more. I pray that He watches over my friend and her family, and I know He will. He holds our hand and takes care of us even when we turn our backs. He provides peace and rest for our troubled souls. His love for us is unconditional; so big and so warm.


I think that happiness to me, is being truly grateful to God from the soul. This appreciation and positivity has helped me living a better me. I enjoy everything so much. You know the kind of enjoyment you see in movies. Like when they stare in nature, or look at the sunset and the background music is on point. My soul is happy, and this happiness will flow over in the rest that I am and do.

So again today I am thankful. I am thankful for life. For life itself, for the lives of my loved ones and for the life as a follower of Christ. And yes, I am so thankful for my dad.
And for the people that read this, please try to let every moment of your life sink in. It's a blessing! Don't let an unfortunate event be the reason for you to think about the things that you are blessed with. Start now, let it sink in and don't stop for a moment.

Written by Nina Akollo.

May God bless his soul! God is able to heal all wounds and restore all broken hearts. <3>

X's & O's !