Thankful for my friend Courtney. And I want to help.

Hi, friends. While I have littles and not-so-littles to be thankful for this week, including Facebook having more value than it does on any other day of the year due to its ability to make a person feel birthday love from all-over-the-world friends (thank you, all), this week I’m going to do this thankful thing a bit differently. I hope you’ll understand.

First, I think that those of us who have our health – right now – should take a rightnow moment and be thankful for it. Be thankful for your spouse or partner, if you have him or her, warming the couch.

(thank you) (rightnow thank you)

Some of you may know my friend Courtney from Our Small Moments. She was one of my very first blogging friends, ever. Although I cannot remember how I found her, it was after I’d been blogging for about a month, and prior to the days of realizing that there are writing groups, networks, communities, and the fact that we end up becoming actual friends. Before I knew any of that, I knew Courtney.

Courtney is one of those people who is able to share her world through writing and photographs and makes you feel like you were just sitting in a playground together, watching your children and talking about life and motherhood, careers and family. Although I have never met her in person, I have cherished her friendship, valued her advice, and her lifelines, many times. She’s helped me to see autism with hope because autism lives in her house, too. She’s helped me to see so many things.

She is thankful.

She has stayed thankful for God, for her family, for her laughter and for health insurance. She linked up with us here, recently. Her attitude and her faith is awe-inspiring.

Her life has just drastically changed. Courtney’s husband Scott was diagnosed with cancer in December.

Last week, he died.

He was 34 years old. He has two young children. One of them has autism. Neither of them will ever understand why God didn’t answer their mother’s, or anybody else’s prayers. I can’t stop thinking about her. I can’t stop feeling like it’s not fair. Because it’s not. And I want to do something. I want to do something meaningful. But what?

I have faith that Courtney, and her children will continue to live a wondrous and blessed life. I have faith in that, because although I know that Courtney will have dark, sour moments, that her belief in the magical and the moments will carry her, and her children through. That her community will rally around her and envelope her in love and meals, when she needs them. I have faith in that.

I also know that cancer is hard. And expensive. And that insurance doesn’t cover everything. And that even if it did, that Courtney just became a single mother with one income. And I know that I want to help. I thought you might want to help, too.

If you are not able to help financially, I’m sure that Courtney would appreciate a well-wishing from you on her blog. A prayer for her children, Ana and McCartney. A prayer for her. For Scott’s family. For everybody who thinks about checking in with him this morning, and can’t.

To donate to help cover Scott’s medical expenses, click here.

I am thankful this week. I’m Thankful for my friend Courtney. And I want to help.

I am also thankful that Robert is, right now, upstairs. And that Tucker is, too.

Certainly that’s way more than 10 things. And infinity things.

Here is Scott, happy for Movember, just 10 months ago. Please consider helping my friend and her family.