It’s easier to ignore the truth and live in fear but once we get over our doubts, though it’s difficult we can change the darkness to light. We can live in truth and goodness but it’s scary, suffer through much and sometimes there are consequences but living the right way in truth without fear is worth getting there. Although this was hard to live by because my world was turning upside down. Asking myself why now? Why her? She meant so much to me and my family. My aunt was a loving person, always caring for others and focusing on the good.

My aunt Jamie was a very passionate kindergarten teacher at Sugar Creek Elementary School. She loved the field of knowledge and brought it to the classroom. She sincerely cared for her kids and encouraged them to be better. She had an impact on almost all the students she had, everyone loved her as a teacher because she was upbeat and enjoyed the kids. The other teachers also loved working with her throughout the years. Aunt Jamie always did more than what was required because she thought that the kids should deserve more.

Another great thing my aunt did was adopt a child who I am thankful for today to have as a cousin. Shauna was always part of the family because my aunt would invite her to the annual cooks forest trip every summer. Although one day she decided to ask Shauna if she wanted to officially be apart of the family and to live with my aunt, uncle and other cousins. My aunt was able to provide Shauna with a better life and give her more than her own mom could. She cared so much for my whole family and always brought light to it. Even though she wasn’t my mom she felt like my second one. She always put a smile on my face and I loved the happiness that she brought me. Until one day when the happiness was gone.

The world seems to stand still when you are told. That feeling I have never felt before of totally sadness when I heard the news that Aunt Jamie was diagnosed with cancer and only had up to a year to live. Things changed so quickly with in a couple of months she wasn’t getting better but worse as everyday went on. Although she was sick my family and I still made our annual trip to Cooks Forest over the fourth of July. All sixteen of us would pack up and pile into the cars for the week of fun at the cabin we owned along the Clarion River. Ever since I can remember we were going here every summer and Aunt Jamie always had a bunch of activities to keep us occupied.

We would walk back to the end of the road that the cabin was on towards the waterfall. The road is about a mile long but it’s worth the walk especially with the whole family together. As we walked, there was a tree limb that crossed over the path just in arms reach that we would all reach up and hit. Once we got to this we knew that we were almost to the waterfall where we would skip rocks and sometimes swim if it was warm enough. Another thing we did as a family was hike from the cabin to the water towers which was about a three to four hour walk. Once we got to the fire towers we would climb the stairs of one and take a family picture. After this we would walk farther down to a small town to get ice cream from the Pale Whale. Then float down the Clarion River back to the cabin. Then every fourth of july we all would pile into the cars and drive down the road to a place called Farmers Inn. This little place had a wonderful restaurant we would eat lunch. After we were done eating we would get back in the cars to go to Bear Rock which was a place that had huge rocks to climb on. We spent a couple hours here but were done before dinner time which was always at the Tavern in Clarion. Eating dinner there was always fun but we usually had to eat quick because we wanted to get a good spot to watch the fireworks. We would always park in the Clarion Middle School parking lot to watch them. This day was done the same way each year and it was special to me because the whole family was together.

One year it all changed though, the clock reads seven a.m. I pull off my sheets and roll out of bed. The cabin was silent, everyone was gone except for my uncle, two cousins and younger brother. I didn’t know what was going on until the phone rang, my uncle answered it and soon hung up. Uncle Jeff turns to tell us that our aunt Jamie was rushed to the hospital this morning. He proceeds to ask if we wanted to go see her because it would probably be the last time.

Upon my arrival at the hospital, I felt like I was walking into a war zone. The automatic doors quickly swooshed open, pulling me in without will and closing behind me as if I couldn’t escape. The stale, sickly smell of the building was nauseating. I walked with my dad through the busy hallway. We reached the elevators only to have them open and what seemed like a thousand people flood out. We shuffled in, and it was as cramped as a can of sardines. Nowhere to go, no where to hide. The movement of the elevator was quick as lightning, I only had to go to the second floor, and the sudden halt made my heart skip a beat. The doors opened once again, and we made our way through the crowd and then stood alone in the hallway as the elevator moved to the next floor without us. We walked around the corner to the waiting room where the rest of the family was sitting. Everything in our world felt like it was tumbling down, we were losing the heart that was always filled with love and happiness. When it was our time to enter the room, I held her cold lifeless hand while I talked to her telling her how much I loved her and was going to miss her. The hardest part of all was that she was able to hear what we were saying but everything else in her body had shut down and she wasn’t able to reply. We prayed as a family around her and after doing so she was gone.

Although the rest of the family and I were heartbroken about losing a loved one we made the decision to make an organization in her name. We wanted to carry out her strong belief that children should have the best life they can. The organization was called Jamie’s Kids, we did a series of events that recognized it and raised money that we donated back to the elementary school where my aunt was a teacher. One of the first events we hosted was a spaghetti dinner. During this event we would have volunteers to help make the dinners and the desserts, kids that attend the school where my aunt taught would make dinner placements and my family made baskets for a chinese auction that helped raise more money. While the adults were walking through the auction and talking with others my cousin and I were in charge of keeping the kids entertained. We had an area for the kids to decorate pumpkins however they wanted, all we had to do was supply the markers, stickers, glitter and so on. The spaghetti dinner always has a big turn out but so did the others. Another event my family would host was a golf outing. We would supply lunch and dinner for the golfers along with prizes. My cousins and I were in charge of a little game at one of the holes where the golfers would have to putt three golf balls from a certain spot on the green into the hole. If they made all three they would receive a ticket to be placed in a drawing. Rain or shine the golf outing would have tons of people show up. The money raised from these events would be donated back to the kids.

The most special event that Jamie’s Kids was apart of was not hosted by our family but we were lucky to be apart of it even though we were not raising money during it. In Franklin, PA the comminute hosted a night called “Light Up Night” where they had a parade through main street and following would be fireworks in the park. My family entered a float in the parade and it consisted of a school bus with students from the elementary school sitting inside. We decorated the bus with christmas lights and signs and while we walked through the parade the kids on the bus had their windows down singing christmas carols while my family and I walked along outside of the bus. The float brought awareness of the organization but it also recognized my aunt and how important she was to the kids and my family.

The day my aunt died changed my life a lot. Although it has been two years since she died I think about her everyday and I know the rest of my family does. She was such a big influence on me and I learned so much from her. I know she would be proud of my family and I for raising money to be donated back to the elementary school but I know she is proud of who I’ve become. With time things have gotten better and although it is sad at times I have realized that aunt Jamie would want me to live life with a smile at all times. My family and I live in the truth and have brought light back because no matter what we have each other to get through the rough times.