“I walked into my living room on Christmas morning 3 years ago, and I could tell right away that something wasn’t right,” said Bayley Palmer.  “I had no idea what was going on, but I never expected it to be so bad.”

There is no way to prepare yourself for the emotional roller coaster that death of a loved one will take you on.

“I broke down as soon as my aunt and uncle told me my mom had passed away.  I went into this weird daze that I still can’t describe to this day.”

Palmer is currently a sophomore , and she has quite a story to tell.  She allowed her rough past to develope  her, instead of letting it control her life in a negative way.

“I became closer to God, and I started to appreciate everyone and everything!  I learned not to take anything forgranted.”  However, not everyone handles death the same way.  Some people find it nearly impossible to be optimistic in such a tragic situation.

“My advice to people who are trying to cope with a loss is to just understand and accept that there is a reason, and amazing things can come from not so amazing situations.”

Palmer is now living with her Aunt lee, Uncle Mike, and younger cousin Justin.  “I love my family, and I wouldn’t be who I am without them,” she said.

Palmer is also working at Chick-fil-a as a cashier for her very first job.  “I have learned quite a bit about responsibility ever since my mom passed away.  Having a job is sorta like proving to myself that I have grown and matured through the hard times.”

It is definitely not always that easy though.  “Some  days it really gets to me, and it’s hard to stay positive.  I miss her a lot,” she said.

“Christmas will always be a bitter sweet holiday since that’s the day I lost my mom.  It won’t ever be the same.”

Palmer has come a very long way, and has made sure to just keep on goin’ when times get tough.

“You never known when your time will be up, and when it comes down to it I wanna be happy with the way I chose to live my life.”