Highest highs and lowest lows.

So, y’all, the past few days – especially today – have brought some incredible highs as well as some devastating lows.

So I just want to share my heart with you right now.

First. . .

counting some simple beautiful blessings

As sick as I’ve been in the past weeks and months and as there have been some really challenging days of late, I want to really give thanks for some small but oh-so-important-to-me joys that have come my way in the past few days around this Thanksgiving.

As odd as this seems to a healthy person, finally getting my nails done on Wednesday was such a high point of my holiday weekend.

See, even though my feet are still incredibly tender, going to my place – where they are so so careful with me – and having my hands and feet done before the holidays was particularly important to me since I had gel polish put on my feet JUST before hell broke loose with them in August – and they have been too fragile to touch since then.

Yes, I have just had to leave it there.

It felt so good to get some regular pampering – even if my feets still look like my puffer fish, sickly feet right now at the end of the day.

And then there was our fabulous at-home Thanksgiving on Thursday:

We watched the parade and our Sara Bug made the most AMAZING food and my Mississippi State Bulldogs brought home victory in the Egg Bowl.

Such a wonderful day.

And, lastly, in the small-ish – but SO happy to me, things category today:

When I was nine or ten, my precious Grandmother gave me a poem she had cut out of her Sunday School literature that I just loved. I covered it in contact paper to keep it safe and I always carried it in my Bible..

Recently, the poem came back to my mind and heart as being particularly relevant to my circumstances now. My problem? I’ve swapped bibles several times over the years and just could NOT find it.

Until Thursday night.

It WAS tucked in an old bible. It was just well hidden. ❤

my big wonderful happening on Friday

As becoming a writer has been my lifelong dream, I count it a great privilege that I get to share with y’all here, and I am so passionate about my first book that I am currently writing, I can’t describe my joy this morning when I was able to search. “Christmas blessings Miranda herring” on Amazon and have this pop up:

It is my first publication in a book and I am over the moon.

It is free to download on Amazon this holiday weekend:

Sara and I went out to lunch and to Target – even in the scary Black Friday traffic – to celebrate.

And Courtney gave me this absolutely amazing writer’s gift that I am SO loving:

I am so grateful.

Some harsh harsh grounding news.

Unfortunately, in life, the good and the bad must be taken together – and I learned, while Sara and I were out, that a dear spoonie friend, who was posting on Instagram on Thanksgiving (despite being quite ill), had passed away suddenly during the night.

Oh my word.

While she was very sick, this still came as a shock to all of us.

As I’ve been sitting and reflecting on what has happened, the verse in my head is, Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. – James 4:14 (NKJV)

What do we do in the face of this?

As sick as I am, what do I do in the face of this?

The only things I can. The only things I want to: Love God. Love People. Share my Jesus. Live out my God-Given purpose. Read, write, share my work. Love my people well. Live with gratitude. Get to my keyboard every day. Thank the Lord my fingers and my mind still work just fine.

No matter your state of health, it’s important to remember your purpose as well.

Be well, everybody – and just keep dancing.

Grace and Blessings.
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Also, this presentation of the Gospel is so beautiful and I encourage everyone – whether you’ve gone to church your entire life or not ever been to one – to watch it.

This is for everybody.<3