I didn’t know what our role in this journey could possibly be. What did we have to offer? She was our first up close and personal face of cancer. We had never done this with someone before. I remember sitting with her in the car one day, our minds spinning one way still trying to grasp reality, and also spinning the other way with to-do lists to make it easier to get through treatment. I told Kara I didn’t know how she needed us, but my family wanted to be there, however we were needed. I’m pretty sure my first offer was that I could make meals and be a safe person to cuss around. We just wanted to be there. So that’s what we did, not knowing what else to do, sometimes not sure if we were helping at all. We did what was very natural to us and we worked to gather our families together whenever and wherever we could. And grace always came, too.

The Tippetts family charged (and I mean charged) into our family's life the summer of 2012. I remember the first time I saw Kara and Jason in the pew in front of us, waiting to be introduced to the larger church body as our new church planters from North Carolina. We casually met and welcomed them during the often awkward "meet and greet" minute. I was stricken with Kara's bright green eyes. I have always wanted green eyes. I just love them. And hers were stunning. The four of us smiled warmly, exchanged names, we told them how happy we were that they were finally here, and they moved on to the next hands extended out to them.