Karen & My Resolution

Lately I have been thinking alot about my friend Karen, this picture is a few years ago at a school function. Karen is an amazing person, she is full of faith,love,and laughter. She is one of the strongest people that I have ever met. We first became friends because our kids were friends, and together with our friend Sid we became a lunch bunch, confidants, and great friends. About 4 years ago we were at a church fireside when Karen and her husband, HG, pulled Sid and I and our husbands aside and told us that she had stage 4 colon cancer. It was a huge shock and we were so worried, but they assured us that they knew that everything would be alright. So for the next 2+ years we went through surgeries,chemo,radiation...(where Karen got her first tattoo:)What a rebel!)We also went through girls camps, youth conferences,trips, and many spiritual experiences with Karen's family....We had some of the best times and lots of laughs! In the physical sense we lost Karen to cancer on June 16,2006, but sometimes I feel her close by, I see her in her son's smile, and hear her in her daughters laughter. Once she told me she wanted to see her 5 children grow up and hold her grandchildren, I assured her that she would see and help her children grow up and probably be the first to hug and hold those baby spirits...Karen is my hero, my friend, and someone that I call a sister, and someday I hope to grow up to be just like her. We still talk often, my kids tease me, but I know she is still close, sometimes I even hear her talk back to me! Its important to never forget those that touch and shape our lives. So for one of my goals this year I want to remember special people and experiences that have impacted my life...who knows maybe I will even blog about it......watch out brothers the childhood memories might become public knowledge!