originally posted March 6, 2019
I promised I would never forget her, that I’d keep doing what I could to be sure the legacy and her faith would live on. And today, another March 6, is a day I’m going to talk about her.
Wendy might only have been days shy of 17 when she passed, but this woman had a huge impact on my teenage heart.
We were in first grade together – finding clay on the playground, mixing food dye into icing to test color combinations, and writing our first spelling words. Years later, in tenth grade, we were reunited by a work of God that was just in time for her diagnosis. I got to watch my best friend go through hell on earth with a smile all over her face and strength that never wavered.
It was her faith that got her through the cancer treatments. It was her faith that got her to remission. It was her faith that we clung to when she got that final diagnosis and said her final goodbyes.
Wendy was a true example of faith, hope, and love. When people ask me why I keep trudging on even when the going seems tough, I need to remember to tell them about her. She is the reason I move forward on the bad days – because I can’t imagine that what I am “going through” could even touch what she did and she did it with a smile.
She went back to high school even when she was sick. She lived a pretty darn near normal teenage life. She dated. She was a staple in our youth group and made us laugh, laugh out loud.
And if she did all those things while fighting her battle, I sure can get up and face my “tough” days.
I’ve lived a whole extra lifetime and am two years into the third since I lost her on earth. I’ve been given the chance to have a family, a career, and pretty good health. And I’m going to make sure that every day is a tribute to her strength and her faith and take each day as a blessing from God.
Here we are, Wendy. Another March 6 without you. You’re free of pain and I sure hope you’re smiling down on us. We love you – even the “we” that didn’t get to meet you.
