death, life...and everything in between

I had the opportunity today to go to the hospital to see Eric's aunt Karmen, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer over a year and a half ago. At the time of her diagnosis, the doctors gave her 3 to 6 months to live, but as you can see, she far surpassed their expectations. I remember when I first met Karmen, about 2 years ago...and I just remember thinking of how amazing of a person she was, just how radiant and fun she was. I knew that she was someone I wanted to get to know and spend a lot of time with. Who knew that I would have just a few short years to learn everything I could from this amazing woman of God. I can almost guarantee that you have never seen someone walk through this much pain or suffering with the grace that Karmen has. Never, not even once, have I heard her complain about her illness and never have I seen her lose hope. Yet, she is still facing reality, she is definitely not in denial. I distinctly remember a prayer service we had for her one Wednesday night...it was a night full of singing and praying. The one song, more than anything, that Karmen wanted to sing was "It is Well"...the old hymn. I remember her saying: "no matter what happens, whether I live or die it is perfect because it is God's will."...talk about humbling. Well, today when I walked into Karmen's hospital room, there she was hooked up to her oxygen tank, sitting in her Peyton Manning jersey. When we asked her about it, she said: "Well, tonight is a Colts game and I've never missed one before, so why not cheer for my favorite team." No matter what the situation is, she always finds the best. I guess today was one huge reality check for me...so often I get bogged down the events that life has for me. Yet, so often, these events are not even worthy of the stress they bring me. It is a lesson that God has been trying to teach me for a long time, and today He used Karmen to show me that. If only she knew how much of an impact she has made on my life and I'm sure many more lives.