As I sit in Starbucks this Sabbath morning, I find myself fixating at the porch overlooking the Irish Sea where 2 years ago, 2 beautiful young women with their Latte's in hand could be seen laughing, giggling and dreaming about a future with their paths in different directions. That has all changed without a moments notice and in the blink of an eye. There will no longer be a 'shared' adventure on earth with our daughter, sister, niece, granddaughter and friend. Abbie has been set free from her earthly tent. What was mortal has been swallowed up by life.

Oh, what a mortal life it was!!! I was so easily fooled with my first impressions of Abbie. Her 'stardom' and 'accolades' were captivating. The extent of her accomplishments on the sports field, in the classroom, her physical beauty and contagious competitive drive blinded me to the heart of this extraordinary woman that died living a life that glorified God. It is this woman of God I want to honor – not the 'star' we all witnessed from a distance rather the 'precious jewel' we knew close up who loved God, family and the underprivileged of the world.

In the 2nd century St. Iraneous coined maybe the most concise and profound theological quote about man ever in history. “The glory of God is a man (or woman) fully alive”. Paraphrased: 'God is truly glorified when we live a life of grace on earth'. Abbie Harper's life of 23 years old and 7 months was a life of grace that glorified God. Her dreams, passions, intense drive and even those times of reckless abandon (like skydiving in South Africa) modeled a life that was 'fully alive'.

While her body groaned under the burden of her disease, her heart burst with energy for the undeserved, the oppressed, and the marginalized with other worldly HOPE. A HOPE that could only be found in the unseen of the eternal – an eternal glory that outweighs the light and momentary troubles of a life that is outwardly wasting away. Abbie's compassionate heart carried by an eternal HOPE took her to South Africa where she analyzed statements of 200+ police officers who discharged their firearms during the Marikana massacre, during which 34 striking miners were killed and 70 injured by police and compiled a comprehensive document of statement excerpts demonstrating reckless and unlawful shooting by police, inadequate/inappropriate briefing and preparation, and police collusion in the aftermath of the event.

Abbie's passion for the marginalized peoples of the world rooted with an eternal HOPE carried her from the safety of home and community to pursue a dream of serving the internationally underprivileged by first attending university at Miami of Ohio and then Law School in Chicago.

Abbie spent a semester in Costa Rica right before her junior year – observing poor communities. She volunteered at a crisis center in Miami of Ohio just answering phone calls. Even in the classroom in Chicago – in the words of the dean of students 'Abbie was a person of faith'. A huge testament to how she was living in such a 'gospel' adverse culture in Chicago as she openly represented her Christian faith.