Katie was living with Stage IV cancer and didn't often wake up feeling happy or hopeful. Her journal entry from January 31 was uncharacteristically upbeat for this season of life. She sets a good example for all of us going through hard times. It's OK to feel happy and even better to express it to God!

In this entry, Katie's lighter side really comes through as she recounts a visit we made to Elkhart, IN, "kind of a dumpy town". (Sorry to all of you who love Elkhart.) As we were shopping for supplies for our motorhome, Katie encountered a particularly helpful person and reflected, "I always think of kindness as doing good when it is within your power to do so, and that is what Trina did for us."

Katie was didn't often wake up felling hopeful about her future with cancer, but she almost always stayed thankful. Thankful for small kindnesses, ironic restroom signs, and beautiful decorations.