My Dear Friend Emilee

Many of us have dear friends. I have a handful but I have wanted to write this entry for a very long time. I want to share my story with you about meeting my dear friend Emilee.

In October 2011 when I first met her, I honestly had no idea or even thought she would be in my life as she is now.

I think it was close to January 2012 when I was walking up the driveway to work and Emilee was walking behind me. She looked in my direction and she asked "Erika, are you LDS?" I honestly hesitated at first but replied "Yes, but I am not active."

How that would be the start of my life changing and an amazing friendship forming.

Periodically we would find ourselves working side by side and randomly conversation would come up (well I thought randomly but maybe there was always a motive behind it on her part). We would talk about girls camp and how much fun and what a big part of our memory it was. Eventually the topics would get deeper and the question of why I became inactive and have not returned.

The remainder of my reactivation story has already been told (Responsibility to Rescue) so I won't bore you with it again.....

I am not sure a day goes by where Emilee and I don't discuss the latest with primary, kids' baptisms, tearful sacrament talks or testimonies or just the power of the spirit and how it effects our lives on a daily basis.

Now to you Emilee,

It is a true and constant reminder of how important it is to have friends in the gospel. Not to just share similar beliefs but to REALLY be able to talk in depth about feelings and having someone there to just listen to the experiences we encounter.

A true testament that Heavenly Father places people in our lives when we need them the most.

You have always been able to give me insight when times have been rough and struggles have been abundant. You always gives me different view points when times I can be blinded. You constantly support me, listen to me and reassure me.

I love our conversations that turn into tears streaming because there is nothing else that can happen when something is so powerful.

I am not embarrassed of freely talking about our experiences in front of others and we always secretly hope that one day someone else will feel the same way.

I admire your differences and how you stand apart from the rest. Not just with your beauty but for just being you!

I am thankful for the joy you, Ryan and the boys have been to our lives. I am ever grateful for having you witness our family be sealed together for all eternity. That day was amazing in many ways but for me it was having you there to be a part of essentially the reason we were there in the first place.

Without you constantly in my ear and taking time to make me realize what I was missing without the gospel active in my life we would have not been there on that day. Now yes, it is entirely possible we would have reached that day one day but we all know it would have not been then.

My life has ever been changed because of your friendship and desire. Heavenly Father has shown me in this life that there is always a way back to Him. He always has a plan for us when we are not aware. He knows exactly what we need to hear and when we need to hear it.

I pray that you will know how much you have touched my life. I can say it but I wish you knew it without a doubt.

My eternal gratitude,
Erika