I’ve been getting through life one minute at a time it seems…

Last weekend I lost a dear cyber friend to an anuerysm. Carla Gibson passed away at a very young age; Carla, who was a designer (a phenomenal designer) at OScraps, and my friend. I can call her my friend, because I spent time with her online. We have a wonderful family online that meets every day in the Daily Os at OScraps. This is a place just to be yourself and encourage others. It was through this forum that I met Carla. She was such a dear heart, always willing to lend a hand, encouraging someone, generally spreading wonderful love around to all!! The first time I really had a personal exchange with her was last Christmas. She had created this fabulous kit and had done some frames, I think as freebies…I can’t remember. But one of the frames had Happy Holidays on it, and if you know me, I am more the Merry Christmas type. So I PMed her and asked if she had a frame that said Merry Christmas. She immediately pmed me back that she would certainly make one for me, and did I want any of her other kits for free???? I had just bought three of her kits (again, she was a fabulous designer), so there was only one kit of hers that I wanted that I hadn’t bought. How sweet was that? Just about a month ago, Carla was cranking out the most gorgeous papers (I’ll give a link later),and another cyber friend, Chris (hugs, girlie!!) started a Kid-Os forum for our kids to get to know each other and have a creative outlet, too! Carla, whose daughter Taylor is one of those kid-os, felt like these kids needed free kits to create with. So she offered our girls free kits and in doing so, asked me to be on her creative team. Wow!! Her stuff was amazing. But, I was completely out of time, so I wasn’t sure if I could really do this, but all I could think was, "this is Carla and her amazing designs…I would have no problem scrapping with these incredible designs!" so I said yes. Little did I know how attached I became to her.

About a week before Carla’s anuerysm, we were talking and sharing with each other about our marriages. This went on for several days of sharing and encouraging each other. On that Friday, May 25th, Carla really opened up her heart about her life and her husband and daughter and her love for them. She really spoke powerful words of love and making it through the hardest of times. Within an hour of posting that, Carla suffered an anuerysm. She was rushed to the hospital and survived a procedure that made it possible for her to wake up and tell her family that she loved them and vice versa. But within 8 days on June 2nd, Carla died. But again, she blessed others. Even in her death, Carla gave life through organ donation.

I have seen so many blessings through this hard time; ways that God has blessed through the tragedy. I personally cried for two days and finally had to take a nap on Sunday to get myself together. But lately I have hugged my kids tighter, kissed my husband more, told people on different forums how I feel about their friendships, and I’ve realized that I need God.I need God’s constant presence in my life. I need to place myself in scripture and really hear the voice of God, because life is short. Why waste my time doing things that don’t matter? God has plans for me, a ministry, even if that ministry is just to my four sweet ones and my hottie-hot-hottie (my kids hate it when i call my hubby that!!), or if it is for everyone who crosses my path, I choose to stand and follow that path that God has given me.

So I thank you, Carla, for the inspiration through your life and through your death, which reminds me of what is important in this short life we have!

And George and Taylor, I am here for you and praying for you!

See Carla’s designs HERE.

Buy digital designs HERE, and contribute to Carla’s family for medical costs incurred.