My guest blogger....she has forever touched my heart...

Today I am pleased to have a guest blogger.  Her name is Kirsten and I have been looking forward to sharing this post written by this special girl.... 

 

Hello,

     Today I am going to tell you about someone who was very important to me. Her name was Amanda Lee Watson and, she was almost eleven when her cancer sent her to heaven. She was my very best friend. I had known her since Kindergarten. I love her. She died August 6, 2014, and her birthday was September 9, 2014. As I said to one of my other friends, her soul was to beautiful for this sinful earth. 

     When we were in 3rd grade she had to leave she had to leave to have surgery to remove the tumor in her brain stem. She hoped to be able to come back in 4th grade, but she never did. She absolutely adored animals, especially dogs and horses.

     I remember one time Amanda came to my house to play and we agreed on a trade.  But at school when we were going to do the trade we changed our minds.  Another time, Amanda was reading  a book about life science.  I mentioned to her that my Grandma had been snoring louder.  She thought it might be because of Grandma's smoking.  So, Amanda and I wrote a pamphlet for my Grandma about why she should quit smoking.  Shortly after that, Grandma did quit smoking and hasn't started again.

     I loved being at Mo Ranch with Amanda.  We had fun looking for minnows and playing in the river.  She was so nice to my little brother, Preston, and didn't mind him playing with us.  We really liked going to the rapids and sliding.  We talked ALL the time and never ran out of things to say to each other.  The only time we spent time apart was to go to the restroom and sleep.

       I was really looking forward to having Amanda back in 5th grade.  The night my mom and dad told me that the doctors couldn't cure Amanda's cancer, I was VERY sad.  When I went to Slumber Falls, my church camp, Amanda was all I could think about.  Sometimes, I would forget for a few minutes, but then it came back to my mind.  I had my family group pray we would get the miracle I wanted.  

     After camp, my family went on vacation for 2 weeks.  The last time I got to see Amanda was before I went to camp when we stopped by their house to drop off a basket of crafts for her.  She introduced me to Mo, her guinea pig.  I didn't know that was the last time I would see her.  We took pictures as a family in our Team Watson shirts at the Grand Canyon and Four Corners.  

     We got back from vacation on Saturday night.  I was hoping to see Amanda the next week, but that never happened.  On Wednesday, I went to Hawaiian Falls, a water park, with my friend Abbey.  We spent the whole day playing.  When I got home that night, my parents told me Amanda was slipping away and would be in Heaven soon.  A couple of hours later, Mrs. Watson posted that Amanda was in Heaven.  I felt like that I had been hoping and praying that everything was going to be okay, but then it wasn't.  Preston drew me a picture to try to help me feel better.  My kitty, Gracie, jumped on the bed and stepped on my dad's face, which made me smile.

     Amanda's memorial service was 1.5 weeks later.  In the beginning, they showed pictures of Amanda from being a baby to the end.  It made me sad, but I liked seeing all the pictures of her.  I remember the whole Watson family coming into the church, especially Brandon, Amanda's brother, and Mrs. Watson, Amanda's mom.  I was so sad for them.  After the service, we waited in line to see Mr. Watson, Mrs. Watson and Brandon.  When I hugged Mr. Watson, he thanked me for being a good friend.  Then, I hugged Mrs. Watson.  I was nervous to see her because I didn't want to make her sad.  When we hugged, we both cried she also thanked me for being such a good friend to Amanda.  

     During the service, the pastor talked about the day Amanda went to Heaven.  She told her dad that she saw gates and 2 books, The Bible and The Lamb's Book of Life, and the green grapes.  I know she is in Heaven because of what she told her dad.

     On September 9th, Amanda's 11th birthday, a bench was dedicated to Amanda at our school.  They planted 2 Crepe Myrtle Trees by the bench because Amanda like them.  We also released red balloons with messages to Amanda.  That afternoon in class, Mr Watson, Mrs. Watson, and Brandon came to our class and we had cookie cake and told funny stories about Amanda.

     I still miss her everyday.  I know I will see her again one day.  

 

 

I have learned so much from children during this journey.  God places people in our lives for a purpose.  This sweet friendship makes me pause and look at my own life and friendships.  I hope that I am half as loyal and compassionate to my friends as Kirsten was to my girl.... 

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loves at all times...