to my beautiful Jaimie....

Today we said our final farewell to our dear Jaimie here on earth. I had the incredible honor of speaking at her funeral. It's hard to put into words what she meant to me, but I did my best....

The first night that my friendship with Jaimie really began was years ago in a Starbucks in Northville. We were there with a group of friends, but we seemed to be in our own little world talking at a trendy wooden table about the things God had been speaking to her that week… which were the same things God was stirring in me for months. Talks of purpose, mission and sacrifice and SO desiring the heart of God to be the driving force in all of our decisions gave us the ability to finish each other’s sentences and laugh at our common ground. That night we connected in a spiritual way. A way that set the foundation for a friendship that continually drew me closer to God. Throughout the years we would look for opportunities to sneak away for coffee to talk and even joked about our covert operation to have our husbands let us go out at 10pm to talk over café mochas. We figured if we could get the kids in bed and our husbands on the couch watching the game, we could meet up and talk for hours without anyone missing a beat. She would always beat me to the coffeehouse and have our drinks sitting at the table when I arrived… and if I even slightly moved for my wallet she would slap my hand in protest. I actually boxed her out once to pay and she sent me the money in the mail the next week. Those nights were my most precious moments with Jaimie. No one pulling at us or stealing our attention, just us, challenging and encouraging each other to know God more. She knew things I was going through that very few people knew… she was my confidant, my sounding board and my loudest encourager. She has been one of my closest and dearest friends, and even though I keep saying that her legacy will live on through her children and the kids and teens she has poured into, I am also confident that her legacy will live on through me. She always pushed me toward Christ… not only by speaking life to me… but by the way she chose to live each and every day.

Oh beautiful Jaimie… thank you for the honor of calling you friend… a role I cherish more now than ever. You will be missed every single day.