Love, Faith, and a little John Denver

November 5th 2009 will not be a day I soon forget. I was up in Denver helping Kent celebrate his birthday when I got a phone call from my dear friend Michelle. She was on her way home after having received more scans in her long battle with cancer. She had been in lots of pain lately and was needing some answers. She had just left the Dr's office and was in the car with her mom driving home. They told her that her cancer had continued to grow and that there was no more they could do for her. Hospice was the next step to try and help her control her pain. My heart broke. We sobbed together on the phone. The next morning we were able to spend some time together. That moment, and several that followed, felt like one of those sacred moments that are so precious and life changing. How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father for placing Michelle in my life when I needed her most. She changed my life forever. She lost her battle with cancer on Dec. 3rd and returned home to her loving Heavenly Father. I will miss her so much! When the neighborhood heard about Michelle's devastating news about having to go on Hospice everyone decided to put out silver and white balloons. The backyards and the path from the Twiggs house out of the neighborhood was lined with balloons letting her family know they were in our thoughts and prayers. My kids would count every day how many people had balloons out. I think the number got close to 20. What a wonderful and supportive neighborhood we live in!

On Nov. 22nd Jamie organized a special concert for Michelle in their home. John Denver is one of their favorite musicians. They danced to "Annie's Song" at their wedding. A great guy named Ted Vigil was kind enough to fly in from Seattle. Doesn't he look so much like John Denver! It was an amazing evening that I felt so blessed to be apart of. There were moments of joy and celebration and some very tender moments of love and hope and sadness. I felt the Spirit so strong in a home full of close friends and family that more than anything shared a Christlike love for this sweet mother who has been such a tremendous example to us all.

This is not one of the most flattering pictures of me ever taken. My eyes are all red and puffy and well...I'll just say that the angle isn't the most flattering. Michelle took this picture of us on the night of the concert. She suffered tremendous pain the last several weeks, and this day happened to be one of her worst. Even in her pain, she asked me to hand her the camera so she could take a picture for us. She was laying down because it hurt too much to sit up. For me this is just a reminder of the kind of friend she was to me. Loving. Selfless. Thoughtful. Kind.

Annie's Song...one of Michelle's favorites! There was not a dry eye in the house.