Katie

I recently got an e-mail from our oldest niece, Katie. She is my husband's older brother's oldest child. If I recall correctly, she was 4 when I married my husband, just a little pixie with brown eyes and bangs.

Katie and I connected. We both loved music. We both valued comfort over style when it came to clothing. She loved her Aunt Karen.

Then, her parents divorced. Katie disappeared into a lifestyle of bad companions and bad choices. Never being allowed to make her own choices as a child due to a controlling, mentally ill mother, Katie struggled for several years. I did not hear much from her. But, I never stopped loving her or praying for her.

Thankfully, those prayers have been answered. Katie now has a paralegal degree and is joining a law firm next week. She has found a life partner. She plays guitar with a band on weekends. Katie has finally made a good life for herself.

And her auntie is proud.