What a weekend!!! Lets start with Friday.......it was a day of shock, a day of confusion, a day of sadness, a day of joy, a day of rejoicing.

Friday, one of my very best friends lost her job : ( I was sad for her, hurt for her, how much more could she take? Another blow that she didn't need. You see, she had lost a child to Trisomy 18 in October and returned to work in late December and Friday, as I said, lost her job. WOW! I ached so much for her and wondered what's next?

Friday evening I attended a Women's Conference at this same friend's church. What a great time. The Lord was surely present. My friend spoke at the conference about her loss of "Johanna" to Trisomy 18. She praised God for her blessing, yes her blessing of "Johanna." She spoke of how this had changed her life and of how a ministry called "Johanna's Gift" had been started in remembrance of her little girl. This ministry will reach out to other mothers who are expecting a child and are in need of guidance and baby supplies.

I knew after she spoke that my friend was indeed going to be just fine. God is working in her life in a huge way. God has bigger plans for her. I could not entirely see that earlier Friday, but clearly I do see it now. Praise God!!

The keynote speaker at the Women's Conference was Carol Kent. She was awesome. She was a christian lady who had/has trials and tribulations in her life, she was someone that you could relate to. As she told her story it touched my heart as a mother. I am not sure that I could have made it through what she had faced as a mother, but she has!!! and she praises God for that. You see God has a plan for each of us and though there are times that things get in the way or things happen that we don't understand why, if we will relinquish all to God, he will show us his plan in a marvelous unexpecting way.

I have been through many trials in my life, don't we all have these? One particular trial ripped me apart. I ALLOWED this trial to rip me apart. I was sinking quickly. I was hurting by an action that someone had done to me. I believe that God sent me a special friend to help me through this trial. She listened and encouraged me. She shared her faith. She taught me to forgive. She helped me to relinquish all to God. I could never have made it through this trial without her, my family and most of all God.

When others hurt us we must forgive them as God forgives us of our sins, our mistakes. If we don't forgive them, how can we expect God to forgive us? There are times that I find it hard to forgive. I carry the hurts with me for days, sometimes weeks and sometimes even longer. But
once I relinquish all to God, things get better.

Romans 12: 20-21 "If you enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Praising God for special friends, family, forgiveness and his unconditional love.

Donna