on a more serious note...

rachel barkey is a 37 year old mom and wife diagnosed with terminal cancer. she says, "Cancer does not define me. Neither does being a wife or a mother. All these things are part of who I am but they do not define me. What defines me is my relationship with Jesus." if you click on her name it will take you to a website with a 50 minute-long video of her story. it is hard to hear because it forces us to acknowledge what we spend every day of our lives trying not to acknowledge, that we are mortal and death is inevitable. however, this is a video worth every second of the 50 minutes it takes to listen to it. rachel is an amazing woman with life-giving words to say. i believe you will not be the same, you will be changed for the better, if you watch it.

i wish i knew this woman in person. i want to hear every word that comes out of her mouth simply because as a terminally ill christian the things in this life that don't matter have been so far removed from her sight. she knows what matters in this life more than anyone i currently know. i can relate to so many of the things she has to say about life as a wife and mom. it is too easy to get bogged down by the daily chores and tasks at our hand. but when you know your days are numbered, that time spent serving your family is precious. it is my aim to do whatever my calling may be, to the glory of God, as rachel reminds us in this video.

mya's name was inspired by a friend of ours named amy who passed away from luekemia in may of 2003. amy was a christian and knew that death from her cancer was very likely. when she called us to ask if bryan would be a pallbearer at her funeral, to tell us that her casket was purple (her favorite color), and share about the songs she chose for her funeral, i was uncomfortable. but amy, as i am reminded by this woman, was not uncomfortable. she was worried about her husband, but other than that, she knew where she was going. "she knew God, she knew herself, she knew the gospel, and she knew her purpose,"(deathisnotdying.com).