A second can be meaningful

I met Kate only one time.

We were at a wedding. She and her friend were seated with us. They were both what you would expect of teens. They were beautiful, well-behaved and adventurous.

When none of us knew what that squiggly thing was on our plates, Kate bravely tasted it and determined it was butter. Her friend concurred.

A few days later, wedding pictures showed up on my Facebook feed. As time passed, the pictures changed to photos of my sister-in-law’s family and pets. Kate showed up occasionally, always with a smile. 

Then the postings began to be more ominous. ”Please pray for Kate” requests began to appear.

After many such messages and a few years, the very last picture was of a hospital room. Kate was on one side of the picture. She looked so tired. On the other side of the picture her family was trying to smile for the camera. It didn’t work. The pain was evident in their eyes.

Kate was sent home with hospice by her side. The call came a couple of days later that Kate had died. She was only 19.

Her obituary said she died of pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer and described her as a singer, poet, writer, artist and big sister.

This column is not about the death of a beautiful girl. It is about what she had left behind. It seems that for the last couple of years she made one-second videos of her life. I do not know if this was something she thought of herself or not. There are several descriptions of one-second videos on the internet.

Kate took a video of her life, one second every day. There were pictures of homework, a new hair color, a piano keyboard, hospital rooms and her family.

One second a day.

Every day another snippet of her life.

Each image says she was so much more than a cancer patient at a hospital. These were her days, through her eyes, and were openly shared with her loved ones

As I looked at the videos, I thought, what a wonderful present to leave behind.

Christmas will be here before we know it. Yes, I know it is August and not December but time flies these days. Many of us have relatives that insist they don’t want anything for Christmas. In reality, they don’t want another present that will end up carefully stuck in a drawer, never to see the light of day. What they really want is time with their loved ones. The virus has made that risky.

A one-second video could be adapted to a picture a day for a week or month. Bound in a book complete with captions, it might just be a present that will be appreciated. 

I am so impressed that Kate kept up the one-second video for the last two or three years through good days and bad.

I have tried to take a picture a day to show how the house or flower beds change with time. I never make it more than a day or two.

Yet, a 19 year old girl with terminal cancer never missed an opportunity to say, “This is me. Welcome to my world.” 

I think if you do make this a Christmas project your loved ones will be pleasantly surprised. They will be honored that you did this as it takes time and effort.

It may still end up stashed in a drawer, but not before they share it with everyone they know.