Anna Nicole Smith is Dead at 39

Anna Nicole Smith: To have had so much- maybe too much- and to lose it all; the testimony of a beautiful young woman who lived in sadness for much of her life.

Fox News just reported that Anna Nicole Smith, 39, was found unresponsive Thursday, February 8^th 2007 in her Hard Rock Hotel room in Hollywood, Florida. Anna Nicole did not respond to CPR or attempts to help her breathe and was transported to a local hospital at 2 p.m. Reports say that her long-time friend and lawyer, Howard K. Stern, was with her when she died.

Anna Nicole Smith was born in Houston, Texas, on Nov. 27, 1968. Her name at birth was Vickie Lynn Hogan, but was later changed to Anna Nicole Smith when she became a model for Guess jeans.

Anna Nicole had a stormy life, much of it her own doing, but she had a chance to turn it all around. In most cases, for as long as we live, we have that second, third or fourth chance to get it right.

Anna Nicole's unhappiness in life was exacerbated by the death of her beloved son Daniel in September 2006, which she never recovered from.

During that time frame Anna Nicole was blessed with a beautiful little girl that could have brought her peace and joy. Anna Nicole could have watched Dannielynn, 6 months, grow and develop into a young woman, but now, Dannielynn will have to face life without her mother's love, and as eccentric as Anna Nicole Smith was, I have no doubt that she was a loving and devoted mother.

For as wild and brief as Anna Nicole Smith's life was, perhaps one of the lessons we can take from it is that no matter what disappointments, tragedies, or hardships we go through, the pain is only temporary and life will continue to cycle, with the good times tempering the bad. Anna Nicole only needed to hang on long enough to let go of her disappointments, live for the present, and look forward to the future - a future she could have had.

Despite the bad circumstances in her life, Anna Nicole had many blessings and I wish she had clung to them - it is those blessings in life, no matter how few, which make life worth living.

Anna Nicole, I pray you were welcomed home and can now rest in peace.