When Tragedy Strikes Close to Home

When Tragedy Strikes Close to Home

The world got a little smaller this last week as the headlines and newsfeeds were filled with the story of a fire in the home of my friend and co-worker.

Amanda “Mandy” Kelly was a friend both online as a co-worker in the blogging world and in real life as a sister in Christ. The loss of her and her family has ripped through the hearts of so many women around me.

Early in the morning of Tuesday, March 21, 2017, Mandy along with her husband and two youngest children were killed in a fire that gutted their home in Lexington,South Carolina. Her two older children were able to get out of the house but are now left to struggle through this horrific event.

I just can't imagine this happening. I so wanted it to be untrue or a mistake that I cried out in prayer. But as I read the posts and saw the community coming together to comfort each other and those that were really close to Mandy; I knew it wasn't a mistake. The world had lost a loving woman of faith that lived her life to her Lord and family.

Mandy wrote on her blog at Worshipful Living. She was also a gifted speaker and home school advocate. I had just commented on her new profile image and that it was a beautiful picture. She looked like she was so happy. That large grin and sparkling eyes just made you smile and feel better to be around her.

Mandy was one of those ladies that always had a way of encouraging you to do more, be more, stretch a little out of your comfort zone; especially when it came to sharing your faith. Mandy, along with her husband Scott and children Lizzie and Judah are now on the other side of Glory and my prayers are with her surviving children, Rebekah Kelly and Jared Kelly.
As our community became a little smaller with the loss of Mandy, we have closed ranks to comfort each other and those that are left behind. Each of us are sharing our thoughts on this tragedy in a special tribute to Mandy Kelly from Worshipful Living. I encourage you to take a few minutes and read some of the other posts about how Mandy impacted their lives too.