Tarnation: blessed beyond compare

Why, you ask? I will tell you. I simply don't have enough room on any blog spot to list all of the reasons that I, Whitley Gillis, am blessed. Today I am feeling blessed to be a "date" person. No, I am not referring to dates with boys consisting of mexican food and movies,though I do remember those too. I am talking about dates on the calender. Until recently I had decided that being a date person was a curse. I always remember the silliest things that happened ( first boyfriends, break ups, when I got my ears pierced, when I was asked to homecoming)- like I said. Nothing important. The other side of being a dates person is constantly thinking upon and remembering when things happen. This can be annoying and even sad when it comes to certain times of the year that mark anniversaries of deaths or tragedy. Like I said, only recently have I decided that this obsession with dates is a positive thing, a constant reminder of how blessed I have been, even if it weighs heavily on my heart at times.

I know, I know. You do not care that Lawson Short and I started dating on January 8, 2001 in the 7th grade and that I remember it. Neither do I, really. So why the dates speech? Today is a special day, but not a very happy one. Today marks the one year anniversary of the death of Emily Stuller, one of my best friends since elementary school. If you are a regular reader of this here blog then you have read about Emily before and how special she was to me and everyone that knew her. I pity those of you who didn't have the pleasure of her company because she was awesome, beautiful, and hilarious. The Good Lord called her home on June 29, 2009- an act I still cannot see as "good", but what is "good" is clearly not for me to decide (even though I certainly wish it was!) My other posts about Emily are here and here , and I believe they offer a little bit more detail about her.

For now and for today- I will count it as a blessing. The sadness, the sorrow, the hating that she is gone. I do not like it, but it is a blessing. 16 years of friendship ain't half bad. Enjoy some modeling shots of Emily that I captured over our years of fun- which is the very best thing to have : )