I realized that today is my 1 year anniversary – of my second chance. For what?

To live.

Last year on Nov. 20, 2008, I was admitted to the hospital with 6 blood clots – 4 in my leg and 1 in each lung.

Now that I know how serious it was, I know God saved me. At that time, I had been wrestling with intense fear. Mom had died young earlier that year, and I kept waking up with strange feelings that caused me to fear for my life. I thought it was foolish, so I kept it to myself. But the night before I was diagnosed, I wrote a prayer to God with tears. At the end, I wrote to God, “I know you won’t let me die.”

Little did I know that my hurting leg had deadly clots forming that could have killed me.

But I’m alive!!!

So today, I’d like to celebrate this milestone. The best thing about a second chance is that you have a chance to reevaluate your purpose and destiny. Sometimes we need a bit of adjustment, humility, hope, and determined joy.

Every year when this week before Thanksgiving rolls around, I’m going to thank God for life and for a second chance to run the race He has set before me.

I hope you’ll think about how precious every day is and act accordingly. (Be nice to the people who work at Wal-Mart!)