This morning I was in my bathroom getting ready for the day. I was putting on some eye shadow and was reminded that the eye shadow I was using was given to me as a gift from Sarah Hays Shurtz. This, of course, brought a few memories to mind.
I had the opportunity to go to church with Sarah and become friends with her. She always had a huge smile on her face and was so nice to everybody. Seriously, she was so kind and loved by so many people. We weren't incredibly close, but I always thought very highly of her.
A couple of years ago Sarah was diagnosed with stage four cancer. It was shocking and terrible news. Her close friends and family members surrounded her and took care of her during this time. I wondered what I could do to help without getting in the way. I got together with a couple of friends and we created the Sweatin for Sarah 5K.
That year hundreds of people gathered to support Sarah and it is still one of my most favorite memories. It was one of those EXTRAORDINARY days in my life that I will never forget. And it was all for an EXTRAORDINARY person. The support and energy that could be felt that day were overwhelming. It reminded me of how much good there truly is in the world.
We were able to have another 5K the next year, as Sarah continued her battle with cancer. A little over a year ago Sarah passed away. She fought hard and left an amazing impression on hundreds of people. Honestly, I feel so blessed that I had the chance to know her and to watch her courageously fight for her life, keeping that smile on her face the entire time.
I'm grateful for that reminder this morning as I sat there getting ready for my day. I'm thankful for the people in my life, like Sarah, that have inspired me and helped me to realize how precious life is. I'm thankful for the simple, extraordinary, moments in my life that have made such a difference in my life. Thank you Sarah for the simple reminder. I needed it.
Here are a couple of videos of Sarah. They are interviews we did with Sarah before our second 5K. She's so beautiful!
On Tuesday I was getting ready to go to the gym and I was looking for a different shirt to wear since my other ones were dirty and I came upon my Sweatin for Sarah shirt, so I wore that!! I didn't know her at all but her story was inspiring and made me appreciate life and strive to treasure it each and every day! :)
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