Say won't you Say

Finding myself at a Loss for Words

Last night I got some news that will forever change the life of one of my best friends. Kim Hooper and I have been friends since 6th grade, we were twelve and loving every minute of it. We remain great friends through high school and she and Abby and Katie and I have done our best to keep up with each others lives through college, although it is much more difficult being that we are all at different colleges. Kim is amazing, although she was the first one who introduced me to alcohol, ( in 7th grade we snuck into my kitchen together and she made me drink some of a wine cooler and we filled it back up with water to avoid getting into trouble, to this day my mom has never said a word about it; it has been mine and Kim's long running joke over the years), But She is also the first friend I had growing up who truly got what it meant to love the Lord with all your heart. She began as we were middle schoolers to teach me so much about striving for Righteousness and Purity; although we both had ups and downs in these areas it was honestly seeing her Love the Lord that made me want to Love the Lord.

So the news I recieved from Katie last night was that Kim's dad Tommy Hooper, who is equally as amazing as Kim, he's been sick battling cancer for the last couple of years but it wasnt until recently that it became a reality that he was teeter-tottering life and death on a moment to moment basis. Katie was with Kim at the hospital in Dallas two nights ago and said that seeing how bad it is for herself made it more of a reality that he is only days away from death. Basically that will be having to make a decision within the next couple of days to let him go now, or the decision will be made for them and this whole trama will just get more and more painful each day that they wait. There is no more physical chance for a miracle, only the trust and hope that her Dad will soon be with the Lord and restored to a cancer-free Tommy for Eternity with Jesus. Kim is being so strong through all of this. I truly believe now that the Lord will not give you more than you can handle, and I am amazed at what this girl can handle. I just kept thinking in my bed last night about what thoughts must be running through her head, what thoughts would be running through my head in losing a parent at the age of 21. After I talked to Katie last night I called my mom to tell her the news and even more so to tell her that I love her. I never want to take my parents for granted because you just never know. Three years ago none of us ever wouldve thought that this could be a reality for kim and her family. I will more than likely be headed home to Dallas this weekend for the funeral of one of the most kind-hearted, generous, and genuine men I've ever known. It will be heart wrenching, but Kim needs us there with her, thats what friends do.

posted by Amanda Michelle Morrison @ 11:23 AM