Celebrating Emily's Life - Part 2

Sara's Eulogy for Emily:

We are here today to celebrate an amazing life.  I really believe that a person is never truly gone as long as they are loved and remembered by those of us left behind.  The outpouring of support and love for Emily has been so comforting and has been present from the moment she began her journey.  In fact she often had a waiting list of friends that wanted to accompany her to her various treatments and appointments.  I want you to all know that Emily was a person that truly loved and admired her friends and she was so lucky to have all of you in her life.   Growing up and even her in adult life Emily never liked change or missing out on things.  She loved to laugh and also treasured little traditions.  I insist that you all continue to take Emily with you from now on.  Share your memories about her, tell funny Em stories and continue to do the little traditions that she was a part of with you.  I know for myself this is going to be so hard, but I know that it will make her happy that we will do them.

Emily absolutely loved and adored her niece and nephew, Claire and Benjamin.  She made every effort to visit with them as often as she could.   We also video chatted with them and she insisted that I text her little pictures and videos of their everyday life.  We discussed what a tragedy it is that she will not be here as they grow up but she really feels that she will be somehow be able to see them, and this is a comfort for me.  I know I will talk about her often and they will always know how much she loved them.

I’m sure you have heard the quote, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”  That describes Emily exactly.  We have all talked about how extraordinary Emily was through her courageous fight.  She shared her experiences and thoughts in such a personal and touching way that reached beyond her friends and family.  In fact her blog has over 39,000 page views.   Being faced with cancer did not change Emily; she had all of that thoughtful, optimistic, and genuine care for others long before she was faced with such an uncertain future.  Emily and I spent so many times just laughing about silly things that probably only the two of us found funny.  She never wasted a precious moment asking why this was happening.  She just dealt with her situation with grace and dignity.    So many times it was easy to forget she was battling such a disease because she kept a positive attitude and normal life.  If her strength and courage, and our love for her were enough, she would have lived to a 100. 

Rest in peace, Emily.  I love you.