Here is something worth remembering as we celebrate Memorial Day: The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that every 80 minutes a veteran takes his or her own life.Her name was Kimberly Hatch. She was the wife of Dr. Steve Hatch and a mother to four children and one son-in-law whom she dearly loved.
To hundreds of women of all ages she was affectionately known as Kim (or Mama Hatch), an honest and committed friend and spiritual mentor. Her visage was as beautiful as any top model, but it was her soul that was so entwined with her Christ that made her attractive.
Many who knew the story of Kim’s early life wondered why she wasn’t bitter. Over time she had come to embrace every circumstance as a gift. And she lived for a greater purpose.
She walked alongside and purely loved those who were broken and downtrodden. For she had her eye on the prize, and her eternal focus kept her moving forward.
Two weeks ago, she traveled to Joplin, Mo., with a friend and three young women. They went with prayer as their only preparation. She listened to the miraculous stories from the survivors, prayed with each of them, and was visibly moved by the massive devastation. The entire event was documented on video. At night, as the women got ready for bed, she tenderly washed each of their feet. And on Wednesday, as she was driving away from the affected area, she told the group that she felt more comfortable living amidst the wasteland. She epitomized C. S. Lewis’s “a glorious ruin.”
Her life meant nothing apart from her complete contrition and surrender before God.
Kim exuded love; she remembered details about people, and she spoke the truth often with illustrations. Last month, a girl in one of her small groups expressed how depleted she was with life. Using the story of a small plane, Kim explained that each of us has two gas tanks. When one is depleted, you simply pull the switch and gas from the other tank flows through you. When both tanks are empty, you may believe you are crashing. But you are not really crashing. God is right there scooping you up and embracing you with his strong arms and bringing you closer to him.
The 13-year-old girl wrote down every word that evening. Two nights after the accident, she shared with her small group that she believed Kim wasn’t really crashing. “God just reached down and scooped her up.”
