My thoughts and prayers today are with the family of Missey Gray, a 31-year-old homeschooling mother and blogger who passed away unexpectedly during childbirth on Wednesday, March 1. I read about this on Spunky Homeschool, and I have been saddened at this loss.

Missy was an avid writer at Heartschooling, and it’s apparent through her words how much she loved teaching her children and encouraging other families. Please pray for her husband, Tom, and their five children, including her newborn daughter who survived the birth. She’s been named Melissa Kate, after her mother.

If you feel inclined, there are many ways you can help this family. A memorial post has been set up at the Homeschool Blogger Company Porch with information. You can send a card or financial gift to her family’s home in Arkansas or take part in an heirloom quilt project for her family.

This news has been shocking to me because it’s so rare for women in the U.S. to die in childbirth these days, and she had so much to live for! Only a year ago, I was about to give birth to our fifth child, and the thought sometimes crossed my mind that something could go wrong and I wouldn’t make it. I gained a greater understanding of God’s grace during difficulties reading this beautiful post, Heavy on My Heart, written by a grandmother of five who was in an email group with Missey. On the Friends page in Missey’s blog, one of her friends wrote in and said this:

As a tribute to her short life, I have decided to keep her memory afresh by choosing to live in the moment. I know I will fail, but I want to try to do it. I see so many sad and unhappy people every day. They mope through life, complain about what they don’t have, and spread negativity in all they do. There is so much in life to be thankful for and to give praise and honor to the King. There is no reason to spend one moment of any day not giving thanks and praise. There is nothing in my life to warrant a bad attitude. My time is precious here and only the Lord knows the number of days He has set aside for me.

I choose to REDEEM the time and live in the now. I choose to stop putting off until tomorrow what is best done today. I choose to LOVE those around me and tell them how much they mean to me. I choose to THANK the Lord today and always for His care and compassion. My heart is sad but it also rejoices. She is home with Jesus and knows first-hand what it means to see HIM and Praise HIM face to face.

Beautiful words to live by.