Got Me Thinking

I have a rather long list of wonderful people in my life that have shaped me into who I am today.  And I am so grateful.  One that I've never written about on this little blog, though, lives thousands of miles away, is seven years older than me, and is a fabulous wife and mama.

Meet Emily.  She originally started out as my high school Spanish teacher.  I'm pretty sure I've retained everything I learned in her Spanish class, simply because I loved walking in her door.  I can recall reflexive verb rules and the imperfect tense endings like I just learned them yesterday.  She is a gifted teacher.  She took that a step further, and began meeting with me and two other girls each week, discipling us, praying for us and listening to our  high school chatter.

Whether she knows it or not, she has made a huge difference in my life, and continues to do so.  Despite her several moves to different states and now another country, we've managed to keep in touch.  High School wasn't my most favorite thing--let's be honest.  Emily often told me that I was "made for college," and I think she was right.  But she helped make High School more than bearable.  

Even now, as I follow her blog while she is in Scotland while her husband gets his PhD, she makes me stop and think, just as she did as I sat in a desk in her classroom seven years ago.  While I haven't completely cut out Dr. Pepper, her cutting back her Coke Zero consumption has made me reconsider how much DP I drink, and I'm working on consuming less of it every day.

Emily recently posted about how easy and necessary it is to compost and recycle in Scotland, which got me thinking again.  Now Claire and I have so much less trash since we decided to find a place to take our recycling!

While both of these examples may seem rather practical, my point is that she makes me think.  I do not do these things because I have an I -want-to-be-exactly-like-Emily complex or anything, but just because I hadn't considered them before.

Emily and her husband Josh had been married about a year before I met them.  So I have had the privilege of getting a little glimpse into their married life for a good while.  They try their best to love each other well.  And it is so sweet.

We don't get to see each other all too often.  In fact, that picture was taken over Christmas, and it had been three years since I'd seen her last.  But I love that we've kept in touch.  And I love that she blogs.  I think that's my love language.  Ha!  It makes it easier to keep up with each other that way, too.  And don't even get me started on her kids...they are just too cute for words.

Once again, Emily has me thinking.  Thinking about who I am impacting, and who I'm pouring into.  Because I know it can make a big difference.  

So Emily, thanks for making a big difference in my life.  You are dear to me!

Love,
Shay