One of the saddest realizations in life for many people comes as they lose a certain childlike innocence, the kind that illustrates a never ending painting of a life open in its canvas and kaleidoscopic in its vibrance; receiving instead in later years a lackluster portrait constrained by time and colored with the dark shades of sully and sour. And yet even as the canvas of life wears thin and the color fades, there are those who leave marks upon the world as beautiful as any virtuoso's paintbrush.
Like any good artist, Karen is defined by her style; diligent, dutiful, honest, and thoughtful. It is with these techniques that she brings to life the most noble qualities of her church and helps rekindle the flames of faith within my heart. Through service, through kindness, through listening, through a shouldering of her burdens she exemplifies the sincerity of her faith and the spirit that sees those efforts through making it possible to, if not regain the wide-eyed innocence of youth, to come then that much closer to attaining it.
For these reasons and more, Karen earns her place in my mind as an exemplar of good character and as an inspiration to draw closer to the faith that inspires such heart.