Emily

I met Emily back in late summer of 2001. I was a freshman at Fresno Pacific University. When I first met her I wasn't in the best place. I was struggling to see where I belonged. I wasn't having much fun and at that point, I considered going back home.  Emily was one of those cool girls that was full of life. She was vibrant, hilarious, and definitely outgoing. She was definitely one of the more popular girls. I remember feeling quite intimidated by her, and at first I don't know that she super liked me either. As time went on, Emily and I became fast friends. She loved to call me by my childhood nickname, "Karlita". She was the kind of girl that would cheer you up, encourage you, and make you laugh even when you were at your saddest point. She was an incredibly strong Christian woman and was definitely an inspiration to me in my own faith. Emily was two years older than me so I only had two years with her in college. But in those two short years we had built lots of memories with our incredible group of girlfriends. Dance parties, pranking our favorite group of boys, acting silly, our inside jokes... I could go on and on.

      After she graduated college we lost touch. She went back to Southern California. I saw her a few times after she graduated but we mostly would have some contact on social media. When I was pregnant  with Rowan, I found out that she was fighting a rare form of adrenal cancer. I was stunned. Emily was in her very early 30s, healthy and full of life. How could this happen to her? I felt sort of shame that I had just found out but Emily reassured me that she wasn't making it very known and was slowly starting to tell people. Since I was so far away from her, I felt helpless as to what to do. However the one thing I knew I could do was pray and pray with fervor. 

Every day for over a year, as I would take Rowan to my moms house, we would pray for Emily. I have a list of people that I pray for every single day and she was at the first person we prayed for. 

Throughout her battle with cancer Emily fought the good fight. Her faith in the Lord never wavered and that was what was so amazing to me. She had an incredible group of friends and family that rallied behind her every second of the way. A mantra was adopted in honor of Emily which was "Choose Joy". A Facebook page was dedicated to her and this beautiful saying. Watching people post how they chose joy for Emily was moving. I often think about choosing joy in everything I do. I have often thought about it when I would get upset over the stupidest things or get anxious about minor things. I would think about how Emily would choose joy rather then wallow in her sorrows. Not to say that I'm sure she had her days, but the way that she persevered  can be a great lesson to all of us. 

       On Wednesday, October 14 Emily lost her battle to cancer. We had just gotten back from a long, hot day at Disneyland. I was tired, grumpy, and snippy with my husband. I got on to Facebook and saw the news. It was like a slap in the face. I was stunned and centered me back to reality. While in some ways I was happy she wasn't suffering, I was just stunned that she had left so soon. Memories of us flooded my mind and the tears just flowed. My heart ached for her family, especially her parents. No one should dare have to bury their baby. I held Rowan even closer that night. My heart hurts for them. 

 Emily is truly a hero in my book and she left such a powerful legacy that no one will never, ever forget her. She was an inspiration to many. I know we can all honor Emily by continually "choosing joy". Emily, I know you were at rest and you are in the arms of our heavenly father. I will miss you and your beautiful soul. I'm thankful for the memories that we have, and I'm so grateful that I was able to call you my friend.