This Grateful Friday is going to be a little bit different, because all week things have been just that - different.
This past Tuesday, we lost a classmate and friend, Annique, when she succumbed to her short battle with a rare form of cancer. Not only was she a fellow medical student, but she was also a woman of great faith, a wife, a mother to two young boys (only 8 and 4 years old), and she was only 37. Yesterday, the Christian Medical Association held a time of remembrance in her honor where those who knew her could come and share their memories.
It is evident that Annique was a special person - captivating the attention of a room with her beaming smile and touching the hearts of everyone with her love - no matter if they were a close friend or stranger. Even in her last days, Annique showed a strength and unshaken faith that we all aspire to possess. My heart aches for the family she left behind, and I pray that God gives them the peace that passes all understanding.
I know that she is with her Father, suffering no more, and although it is times like these when I wonder why things like this happen, I know that His ways are not our ways. A friend at the service quoted Pastor Ramsey as saying, "God does not measure our time here on Earth in years, but instead, He measures it in purpose." In the short time that I knew Annique I saw a woman who was enjoying her journey - the highs and the lows, living each moment to the fullest, and always loving. And today, when everyone began to share similar joy-filled stories of her, I realized that Annique is a testimony of how God wants us to be - an overflowing expression of His love. Even when it may be uncomfortable, even when we are hurting, even if we are stressed out, we are always to love. That is just what she did. I feel so blessed and grateful to have known someone like her. She will never be forgotten.
