My sweet friend Cheryl

Laughing together about and trying to eliminate the "double chin" look in pictures - Cheryl suggested we just raise our chins up high in the air for our pictures

My sweet friend Cheryl went home to be with Jesus on February 20 after a complication in surgery. She was having a procedure on an aneurysm that she had had for 14 years, and it ruptured during the surgery. Another totally unexpected loss in such a short amount of time. My heart is hurting again.

Cheryl was my first friend when I moved to Wickenburg back in 2003. My parents had driven to Arizona with me from Pennsylvania, and the morning they left, I was invited to a Women of Virtue conference at a church in Phoenix with some other girls that worked at Remuda Ranch. I hadn't started my job at the Ranch yet - I was starting on the following Monday. I was a little lonely after moving out to Arizona by myself but I was excited at what God had in store for me. I loved the conference, and during one of the breaks, I went to see the Remuda Ranch display booth. Cheryl was the marketing representative there at that conference, and she introduced herself to me and invited me to her church in the morning. I went to her church (Community Alliance Church) the next morning, and it was the church I attended all 3 years I lived in Arizona. Cheryl invited me to lunch, and we ate then played board games at a park after lunch. It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

I loved so many things about Cheryl, but I will miss her honesty and transparency the most. She wasn't afraid to tell me the truth (whether I wanted to hear it or not) and yet loved me anyway - flaws and all. Before I left Remuda, Cheryl was the first person I talked to about it. It was a deep, broken time for me personally - I was so burnt out. But she helped put things into perspective, and offered her love and support through that very hard time. She brought over a magnet that I still have that says "A true friend understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you for where you are today." Cheryl helped me understand more about Jesus. She had an amazing perspective on life - I suppose living life with an aneurysm will do that for you. But she didn't spend much time focused on herself. She just focused on life and living it well.

The fun memories I have with Cheryl are too many to recap. We loved to laugh together. When she turned 39, I wrote her a song about her saggy butt and her osteoporosis for her birthday party. I sung to her, and we laughed through the whole thing. We went to a resort in Sc0ttsdale one time with our friend Becky - what a great time we had. I was having a bad attitude that weekend, and like the good friends they are, Becky and Cheryl told me my attitude was wrong and yet loved me despite that and helped me figure out what was bugging me. You don't have many friends like that. Cheryl lived 2 apartments down from me for a year, and we had so many great conversations by the pool. We had countless cups of coffee together and wonderful visits together at the Pony Espresso. We loved to play board games with Diedra and Michelle. We hiked together, and I remember one amazing talk with God she and I had at the top of Turtleback Mountain. We sat up there together and worshipped our amazing God even though both of us were facing trials at the time.

Cheryl and her husband Dominic stayed at our place the night before her surgery. She had slept in my bed - the alarm was still set where she had set it to wake up for her surgery. We had some last laughs together, and she was able to see Trey again and feed him some of his lunch. The next and last time I saw her, she was on life support. I hated seeing her that way, and I had to sleep with the light on for a week. I still have a hard time comprehending she is not here.

Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of my friend Cheryl. Teach me to love people like she did. Teach me to embrace life and truly live life the she was able to. I am so thankful for the hope that I know I will see and hug my sweet friend again. Something Cheryl quoted on her facebook page is "Lord, strengthen my faith to depend on Your perfect timing for my life". I echo that prayer - not my timing, but His perfect timing.

I love and miss you, Cheryl. Can't wait to see you again.

September 2008

The day before Cheryl went home to be with Jesus