In Loving Memory of Shamae

Shock...Disbelief...Tears
I've been a complete jumbled mess since I found out about Shamae's passing on Sunday night. I've had a hard time finding the words and this all seems like a big blur.

I didn't see all of the posts until we got home from our trip to Busch Gardens. It was about 11pm and as I sat down and begain to scroll through my newsfeed, I scanned over posts like usual...reading the important posts and scanning over the other junk of complaints. And then....the photo of the three girls...a post about the passing of Shamae. I read it....I reread it....and REREAD it! It can't be true! Someone must be talking about a friend of Shamae's....NOT Shamae! As I sat there with my mouth open, my husband was asking me to move so he could fold the covers down. I never heard him. I was zoned out....trying to register what I was reading over and over. He then yelled at me, "Jill, MOVE!" I looked up at him and the look on my face must have been bad because he came over to my side of the bed and asked me what was wrong? I handed him my phone and the tears came out of nowhere. It had sunk it and registered. It was Shamae, not a friend of hers, not a stranger...really HER! He read over the post and all I could do was sob uncontrollably. Those three girls! Her poor husband! I didn't know any details about what happened, only that she had gone to sleep and didn't wake up. But the devestation that was rocking our community was ever so present on Facebook.

I first met Shamae through my blog. She had commented to several posts of mine and although there was an age difference between our girls, they still had a connection....Type 1 Diabetes. Syd was diagnosed a few months before Kacey so we were going through those same emotions together. I would email her with problems and she would email me back. Emails became texts and texts became phone calls. We became cheerleaders for one another! Celebrating the good days and crying for the bad days. Syd and Kacey began emailing funny videos back and forth. Words of encouragement and "You're doing a great job!" filled the videos. A friendship was formed and we have diabetes to thank. Being on opposite sides of the US made it difficult for us to meet in person but we felt as if we'd known one another forever.

Today, we honor Shamae Lyon.
A sweet soul and a forever friend
Taken too soon
Leaving behind three sweet little girls....Sydney, Morgan and Hadlee
Leaving behind a loving husband....Loren

My prayers for the girls....may you always know how much your Mommy loved you. You were her world. You were her light in the dark. She revolved around all three of you. As you get older, may you all three become the loving, caring, social, compassionate woman your Mommy was. She could make someone's day with a simple post or comment. She knew how to cheer someone on when she knew they were down and out and she joined in the cheers when she knew someone was having a great day. She was an advocate and her devotion to making sure those around her were clearly educated about diabetes was infectious. It made us want to be better advocates and better mothers. May you each grow up to live healthy lives and I pray your Daddy will keep us updated with pictures as much as your Mommy did. Much love to all three of you! ((((HUGS)))

Loren...your wife was simply AMAZING! But then again, you already knew that! My prayer is that you find comfort and peace as you move forward without her. The days ahead will be tough. The days ahead will be dark. But I hope you find light and peace as you are flooded with all of the memories of her. She will be dearly missed in our Diabetes Community.

What did I learn from Shamae? If there is one thing I learned it's....TAKE MORE SELF PICTURES!
I don't take enough pictures of myself. Mostly because I am always behind the camera and because I always feel "fat" in pictures. But as I looked back over Shamae's posts and her Facebook, it's all SMILING pics of her and family & friends. She was ALWAYS smiling...even in pics when she is sick and a black eye. SMILE....thats what we all need to do more. When we leave this Earth, we have the memories that we've captured in our hearts but having the concrete photos to look back on are PRICELESS!

Shamae...my beautiful friend...may you soar with the angels! May you watch over those beautiful girls as they grow into lovely women. May you comfort your husband from above and show him your presence. May you rest in sweet peace!

WITH MUCH LOVE,