Yesterday, I was treated to breakfast and the most beautiful facial by my special friends. I was in such a state of relaxation after that, I forgot to update the blog when I got home and I slept so peacefully.

I kept Sydney home from school today - just because she wanted to spend time with me. Sweet. She has been singing her own little composition - "Trust in the Lord, Trust in Me says the Lord", over and the truth of those words is washing deep into my spirit. It has been said "We cannot know the peace that passes understanding until we stop trying to understand". This is where I find myself, as before, right in the middle of His peace. It doesn't seem possible or even appropriate under the circumstances. It is beyond understanding. I choose to simply trust God, not to question. He knows so much better than I do.

Tributes, messages, emails, sms'es are still coming in for my amazing sister - it is wonderful to see how her life has touched so many lives and how God works so uniquely with each individual in the situation. This is from Karen Dawes - our children are school buddies (Elijah and Daniel were in the same class and Jonathan and Sydney last year). I love what she says about Nix as a mother, not many have touched on that aspect but (I said this to her a lot while she was here with us), I have never seen a more natural, phenomenal mother. Because of her unique perspective on life - she just connected with children on their level, understood and loved them deeply. Her children were blessed to have known the love, devotion and understanding of their amazing mother. She challenged me constantly as a mom. I will miss that but will hold on to what I have learned from her...

From Karen Dawes:

I really only knew Nikki in part (compared to you who all knew her so fully, so intimately)... but o howrich my life was for that small part! Thinking back to the few moments I was privileged to share with her (lifting Dan, snatched play dates, gymnastics lifts, birthday parties/teas...), I cannot ever picture her without her beautiful smile...her joy that radiated out of her in spite of all things. That is what I am going to remember most about Nikki. She gave me SUCH a wonderful refreshing look at life around her....I loved her down to earth way of looking at her kids...and the way she just purely loved themand so wonderfully, naturally mothered them. Watching them on Friday, I just know God's got them, He's got them in the palm of his hand and he's got the grace for them. They are not alone...and they never will be. Hannah's sweet sensitive spirit is going to be okay...

The service on Friday... all those beautiful photos of Nix...I wept. I wept for how much of her life I had not known or been a part of. I wept with envy that I had not more time with her. She was larger than life...look at how packed that hall was...she was INCREDIBLE. The depth of the friendships she had blew me away....

I came home wanting my little Savanna-Rose to have a sister, because of how amazing you are sweet Evie. You have loved and fought and given. I honor you sweet lady.

Your whole family...the love you have for one another, the journey God has brought you on, the way in which he has knitted you together. How sweet. How precious.

The power of your testimony, and your dad's, and the friends that spoke and wrote. Indeed, that's how we overcome , by the power of His transformation in our lives, and the blood of the Lamb. It is her life,her life bled out for Christ that has changed and challenged all of us. And I am a better person for having known her, even the little that I did, ...and you...and every member of your family.

This is the glory God gets....