It was a sad weekend for me. My friend passed away from breast cancer. She and I have not spoken for years except on facebook. I haven't seen her for a long time. But when I did see her, it was weekly.
- She was a bible study leader in a study I was facilitating.
- She worked on the same staff my husband worked on for many years.
- She and I had dinner at Red Lobster once.
- She liked my white sweatshirt, which was new at the time, back in 1999, and now is old and stained and stretched, but still in use.
- We once went on the Southbeach diet together.
- We talked about what it was like growing up loving a stepfather as our own, and never knowing our birth fathers.
- We both loved Beth Moore.
- She made me laugh.
- And now she made me cry.
- I'll never get a mamogram without thinking of her.
She was 35 years old and had just been married in August. Her cancer was aggressive ... and cruel. I've never met a cancer that isn't cruel. It causes pain. It takes away dignity and strength. It cuts us up and leaves us with scars. It strips us bald.Jenn lost her battle with cancer tonight. But she never lost her faith. She fought the good fight, she finished the race, she kept the faith. She taught us how to fight for our lives and leave nothing behind ... except those that loved her. And we will see her soon.
Jennifer Cunningham Kimbrell 1975-2010
also this weekend ...
- today is our Ethan's 20th birthday ... we no longer have any teenagers in our family
- bought some warmer clothes
- tried to get my IL driver's license but the line was too long
- returned my library books
- walked among the falling leaves on what I suspect will be our last weekend of color
- attended a fund raising banquet for Haiti
