Happy Thirtieth Birthday Emily! What a milestone! You are a
special woman. I remember the very first time I saw you… we were twenty and at
Montibellar Park. When I saw you again I
remember thinking, “I want to talk to that girl, I want her to be my friend.” I
had no idea that you’d become my best friend. I had no idea that we had so much
life to live together.
Your friendship is truly a gift. We have shared the deepest
hurts and the greatest joys of our lives.
Through your friendship you have taught me how to be a friend. And your
love has taught me how to love.
I was having a very sad day and I was supposed to go to the
Best Buddies Valentine’s Dance. I just didn’t think I could go, but felt terrible
about canceling on my best buddy. You asked
if it would help if you came along too. I couldn’t believe you’d be willing to
do that for me. But you did. It made it so much better. I learned that’s what friends
do.
I have such a clear memory of experiencing healing love. I was grieving my mom. You rubbed my back and
just sat with me in my room on Pearl Street as I cried and cried. That was real
love.
In our twenties we had some real difficult times to get
through. I’m so thankful for your
friendship and genuine love. I think because of those dark times, the joys we’ve
shared have been even sweeter. And oh..what sweet joys we’ve shared.
I’ll never forget the look on your face and that you fell
out of your chair when Danny and I told you we were engaged. I like that Joe helped Danny prepare to
propose to me and that you were the first one we told. It was like a Joe and
Emily sandwich.
And then, five years later…
I can still feel the rush of adrenaline after hearing Joe’s
voice on our answering machine after Danny and I were already snuggly tucked
into bed. I jumped out of bed yelling “They’re
engaged” as I ran to answer the phone and told Joe of course it was perfectly
ok for you two to “stop by” at 11:00pm. I ran back into the room and told Dan
that you were coming by and I KNEW you were engaged. We dug
through the drawers to find our Joe shirts (what else would you wear to hear
the BEST
NEWS EVER?) and danced around the house waiting for you to come. There
was much more dancing, jumping, hugging, and crying once you arrived and we
heard the official news! The wedding of the century was going to take place!
Oh Emily, there are so many sweet memories that I have with
you. Just a few of my favorites (that I can mention where other people might
readJ ~Being
awesome softball players on the
Living Water team, having a slumber party in our hallway on Pearl Street, when
you made me that little booklet when I went to China, posing as a model for
your larger than life paintings, when you first told me you liked Joe, and waking
up with you on your wedding day! It’s
been a blessing to live our twenties together. To love and be loved by you is
one of the sweetest things in my life. I pray that this next decade of your
life is filled with more smiles than tears, more joys than sorrows, and more
blessings than afflictions. No matter
what you’re thirties bring, I know we will be friends through it all.
I love you friend,
Michelle
