I am thankful this year. In the midst of incredible pain and suckiness, I am thankful for my family, friends, and the love we have from all of you. We don't understand God's plan, but we know He is good. It's all we have to hang on to. We miss Ava more than we thought it possible to miss someone, but we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is bigger than death. He conquered it. If only we were big enough to comprehend God's plan we would no doubt be better at walking through this. However, it's not what we are. We are small. God is big. So big, in fact, that He endured this for all of man kind with the death of His only son. I'd say I can't imagine, but He gave me the gift of knowing His pain, first hand. Ava is perfect now and I can't wait to see her.
I can't wait to be with her again, but until then I choose to be thankful. We know a love from friends and family that few are blessed to have. This day we will be thankful for her life and all of God's other blessings. We're still here, so he ain't done with us yet.
I'll never fear death. God gave me that gift on September 4th. I have so much to be thankful for. It's a weird Thanksgiving for us, but one I'll remember for the rest of my days. Thanks to all of you for walking the journey by our side.
Happy Thanksgiving, friends. You bless us every day.
Happy Thanksgiving Josh.... I'm thankful for the impact Ava has had on our lives... Not a day goes by without thinking of her and your family! I'm thankful for your blog and the way it ministers to me .I can't thank you enough for sharing your sweet daughters journey with us, we are forever changed!!!May you feel Gods arms around you all today... He is holding you tight!
ReplyDeleteJosh, Happy Thanksgiving to you and our wonderful family!I am thankful for our blog and your witness to us all! Thinking and praying for you all always....
ReplyDeleteCindy Miller
Happy Thanksgiving brother. Love you guys. Love your girl. I am thankful to have you as family.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving Hunters. The whole Helmling family just prayed for you and will continue throughout the day. You are such an inspiration. Every time I sit and read your blogs I just shake my head and say unbelievable. You all are truly the real deal. We love you all.
ReplyDeleteYour family continues to bless us every day! We are thankful for you!
ReplyDeleteDear Josh, Lisa, Noah, and all the Hunters,
ReplyDeleteMay God bless this day of Thanksgiving and give you all a peaceful day of thanks and remembrance. May your family find joy today in being together and having each other for love and support. Thank you for sharing Ava with us. She will be in our hearts this holiday season. God be with all of you.
Love in Christ, Susie & Sam
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! Our family is thankful for you and for sharing your Ava and her story with us. We still continue to pray for her every day, and she continues to be in our hearts and minds and actions as we walk this journey with your family. Many blessings and love to you and yours this Holiday.
ReplyDelete-The Kallners
I want to say that you are absolutely Amazing & Wonderful, but those words are inadequate to describe you. Your immeasurable/indescribable Love for Holy God, for Beautiful Ava, for your Precious family & friends, is incredible. You and Ava will only know from the perspective of eternity how profoundly you have blessed the lives of innumerable people with your godly lives and hearts. Your words/blogs touch me beyond deeply. Happy Thanksgiving to you and all of your Dear Family. You all are the Best. My family and I will not cease praying for all of you and thanking Him for the Blessing of you.
ReplyDeleteLove and prayers always,
The DiBari Famiy
A blessed Thanksgiving to you Josh, Lisa and Noah and the rest of your family...
ReplyDeleteAs I sat yesterday having my quiet time your sweet Ava came to my mind and I pictured her at the greatest Thanksgiving feast of all in Heaven with Jesus.
Your family and Ava'a life have changed the lives of so many ...myself included and for that I am very thankful.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! I continue to lift you up in prayer every day. May we all continue to acknowledge the blessings that come to us through our adversities. Our God is a truly mighty, powerful and loving God! Blessed be the name of the Lord!!!
ReplyDeleteRemarkable. You humble me in pure and genuine thanksgiving. I have heard the saying...instead of telling God how big your storm is, tell that storm how big your God is. You've done that, and done it well. We prayed for much peace and as much joy today for you and your family. There is victory in Jesus that we believe today, and will see tomorrow. We can't wait for you to see her again too. She has changed us, and for that, I am thankful.
ReplyDeleteAs I started following your blog, all I could think about was how graceful you and your family are handling the coming "firsts" ... next year will be better, and eventually, the new normal will be good.
ReplyDeleteWhen my son died, it was very different. Took me a few years to see the silver lining in that horrendous experience but I see it now. Two of my brothers who had not spoken in over 15 years, had to come together for the sake of their little sister (me) who was a mess.
I learned many other things about this life - like it can never get worse than that, so therefore, every day, I count my blessings and thank God for his choices, no matter how hard they have been.
Continued warmth and blessings to your family this holiday season!
Thankful for all of you, Josh. I miss Ava along with you.
ReplyDeleteLove, Allie
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. My thoughts and prayers have been with the whole family the last couple of days.
ReplyDeleteYou are an awesome family, Josh, Lisa and Noah.
May God continue to hold you and bless you in this difficult season.
Jody
Happy late Thanksgiving Josh. We remembered you all at the prayer at dinner. It was just Steve and I and the kids. We wanted a quiet holiday. We've lost several people lately and the gift that you give through your blog keeps us full of hope and peace. May you Lisa and Noah know HIS peace through the next few weeks. Love, The Johnson's
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving Josh, Lisa, Noah and Ava!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to leave a note ... haven't commented much since Ava was taken home, but nevertheless you all have remained close to our hearts. So often I have what I call "Ava moments" when I am reminded of her or something I learned through her life & death, and I smile through my tears. Our kids still pray for your family every single day and night. The effect of Ava's little life on our family is still incredibly profound.
ReplyDeleteAs we've decorated for Christmas this weekend, you guys have been on my mind a lot. For what it's worth, when the "suckiness" {excellent word, btw} rears it's ugly head as you spend your first Christmas without your girl, know that you have friends who are committed to praying you through it, and I'm sure we're just one family of many doing so. I explained to our kids how the holidays can be hard on people who've lost loved ones. My husband lost his brother last year, so he and Grandma & Grandpa are being prayed for right along with you guys. Suckiness indeed, but I'm grateful for the empathy that they're learning through it.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Just know we're still here, and we're still praying...
Much love,
Dan & Susan Wilcox