In Memory: Life Is Fragile

 I'm going to warn you now. This is not my usual post. (I will continue the Seven Deadly Sins series next week) This story touched my heart. I hope it touches yours as well.

This is Katelyn Norman. She was a fourteen year old girl who had been suffering from bone cancer for two years. When her disease took a turn for the worse, she made out a "bucket list". On her list of things she wanted to do before the cancer took her was: Go to prom, visit Italy, a day with each of her siblings and more.

Katelyn was from Campbell County in Tennessee. That's about fifteen minutes away from me if traffic is okay. I'm not making any claims to fame as I did not know her personally. I first noticed her while I was browsing a photography page that I am a fan of on Facebook. This photographer had taken amazing pictures of her and I was blown away by her beauty! Then not too long afterwards I started hearing about her making the bucket list and I realized she didn't have much time left.

The town she lived in got together and held a prom for her. Unfortunately, she'd been having problems breathing that day and ended up at the hospital. That didn't faze this community. Her friends and her date brought the prom to her.

This morning however, she did pass. She has left behind inspiration. I've read that people who saw her never saw her pitying herself. I think I would be having a non-stop pity-party for myself. As sad as that sounds that's how some of us are.

Life is fragile. People take advantage of it and put things off thinking they have so much time left. Katelyn didn't have time left. She wanted so much to go to prom.. which for most of us (excluding me, I was homeschooled and didn't have a prom) is something that we automatically expect to do.

You hear the arguments when something like this happens. God gave her cancer, blah.. blah.. blah. God doesn't GIVE you cancer. I believe diseases and such is the Devil's work. Why would God exclaim how much he loves us, send his son to die on the cross for us just to give us a disease that eats at you. Simply put.. He doesn't. God wants us to live life to the fullest while obeying him. He wants us to be happy. What hurts us hurts God worse. What makes us smile, puts a smile on God's face.

God gained a beautiful girl on Good Friday of all days. He put her on this earth for a reason and I think it was to leave her in our hearts. I may not have known Katelyn Norman but she is in my heart. Instead of crying and complaining about trivial things, let's stop and think for a moment.. At least you are alive. (For the record I'm not saying everything to others is trivial. In my opinion things that are trivial to others are HUGE to you)

For those of you who are fighting or have survived cancer, I respect you to the fullest I can respect anyone! It's such a terrible disease. My own grandmother died of Leukemia and it hurt me a lot and when I look at my children I think of how happy my grandma would be if she could see them and spend time with them.  Then again I think of how much she suffered and how she's looking down on her family that has grown so much.

Katelyn may have been in pain most of the two years of fighting cancer, but she's out of pain now. She's in a better place. Those left behind are hurting, but remember she's with you and she's with all of us who care about her.

Please keep Katelyn's family in your prayers as they go through this grieving process. They lost their little girl, sister, friend today.

Bethanie

**photo courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/InMemoryOfKatelynNorman?fref=ts