Goodnight friends and family. We hope that you have all arrived safely to your destinations, and that this day has treated you well.
Everyday we are faced with challenges. No matter how hard we try to avoid it, life puts obstacles before us that we must overcome. Things can seem so overwhelming. It is sometimes hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel, but have no doubt that there is one.
I do my best everyday to try and not wallow in the past, or in regrets and mistakes made in my own life. It is difficult to do sometimes, when there are constant reminders. Still I must remain strong and move forward. I must set myself apart from the past and move into the future, knowing that God has brought me to where I am spiritually, only through trials and a lot of error on my part. Without my mistakes and without the turmoil that I have survived, I would not be as strong as I am today. It is true in my case, the old sayings that “youth is wasted on the young” and “If only I knew then, what I know now.” I know most of us can relate to that.
If I could give the young boy that I once was one thing, it would be self confidence. Low self esteem was my biggest “sin.” I am calling it a “sin,” because it hurt someone very badly. And that someone was me. You see, God wants us to be good to all of his children and that includes ourselves. If we are good to others but not to ourselves we are still not doing fully what God wants of us. God wants us to find the same love for ourselves and until we do, we will continue to be faced with pain. We must show the same protective instinct that we show for others when it comes to protecting ourselves also. Loving yourself can be a lifelong lesson and is sometimes the hardest lesson to learn.
One of the most painful things in this life is seeing your own child have to learn the same hard lessons that you have already learned. Our natural Instinct is to want to save our child and pass onto them the wisdom that we have gained throughout our years. It is natural for us to want to spare them the suffering by passing that knowledge on to them. It is very hard to know that we cannot always do that. It is very difficult to accept that those we love, have to go through their own trial and error the same way that we did. Such is the cycle of life. Such is the way that each soul must grow. And it is this lesson that is truly the hardest of all.
So tonight, we pray for the children. All of the beautiful and innocent children that deserve to have hope and deserve to suffer not a single day. We pray for the children that go without, the children who have been wounded and carry with them a pain that no child should ever know. We pray for children that suffer with a lifelong or terminal illness. No child should ever have to endure this. No child could ever deserve this. All children should be well. All children should feel loved, wanted and accepted for who they are. God Bless the children. God protect them all of the days of their lives as they journey forward.
Very special and very strong prayers go out tonight for our friend Lane. We learned about Lane’s plight from her dear friend Cynthia Cothren Bivens. Cynthia is a very important member of the “Everybody Loves Sammy” community. We care a lot about Cynthia and Lane is Cynthia’s best friend. Just recently we sent prayers out for a miracle for Lane after she was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer and told by her doctor, that she had only a week left to live.
It is with a very heavy heart that we share with you that Lane has passed away today. She is now an angel and no longer suffers any fear or pain. God bless Lane and carry her into the light, in your arms. God, please comfort Cynthia and her loved ones with the knowledge that even death cannot separate us from those that we love. These are bonds that remain for all eternity. Love is everlasting and lives on until we meet again.
And for the millions and millions of innocent and defenseless animals, fighting everyday to survive, we ask for miracle. Too many of these precious angels are being abandoned, abused, neglected and tortured. The genocide that is being inflicted on these defenseless creatures needs to end. Have no doubt that God watches over his angels and he watches very closely, how they are being treated.
Small adjustments to our lifestyles, our diet, our wardrobe and the products that we use, will mean the difference between life and death to countless animals. Let us do our very best to save as many lives as possible. Together we can make a difference.
No lives will go in vain. No pain will go unnoticed. Amen.
Love from,
Jessica Lee Smith,
For Sammy & Family
