EMMY

In the profound silence that followed a metaphorical winter, I wandered through a desert of my own making. After the demise of a long marriage, my spirit felt substantially crushed; I moved through the world with a heart held cautiously aloof. I was a person who had accepted the cold, convinced that the "warm breeze" of true connection was a myth.

But the universe holds its own timing. It was a quick getaway to the California coast that set our orbits on a collision course. Against the backdrop of a world beginning to shutter, state lines were bridged by the eleventh hour .

To meet Emily was to be called home. We are the youngest and the oldest, two halves of a long-sought whole. Her spirit remains undimmed, sparkling with resilience. She became my "Elsa," the calm in every storm.

I am humbled daily by the staggering grace Emily showed in uprooting her entire existence for the sake of our bond. Leaving California wasn't just a change of scenery; it was a total transplanting of her soul. She entered a crucible , facing the relentless tempests of the legal system with the fierce, unyielding love of a mother who refuses to lose.

There were seasons of bone-deep exhaustion—months defined by salt-streaked faces, fervent prayers whispered in the dark, and the crushing frustrations of a system that doesn't always value the heart. But she never wavered. She fought for her daughters with everything she had, enduring the fire until she emerged on the other side, victorious, bringing her children into the safety of our shared arms.

Upon her arrival, she did more than just move into a house; she sanctified a home . With an artist’s eye and a warrior's resolve , she invested every resource she possessed—emotionally, spiritually, and financially—to clothe our residence in a beauty that feels divine. She took a structure of wood and stone and transformed it into a literal heaven on earth , a sanctuary where the chaos of the world finally stops at the door.

She has folded my son and daughters into her heart as her own, ensuring every soul—from the three S children to the newest light, W—feels truly accepted. Every corner of our life now breathes with the peace she painstakingly built, proving that while the desert was where we met, this kingdom is where we truly began.

Emily is more than a living exemplar of charity and grace; she is a displacement of the dark . Her devotion to Heavenly Father is a conduit so powerful it literally shifts the atmosphere of our home. It is a quiet, steady frequency that tunes the chaos of our world back into a song of peace.

I have felt the physical weight of her intercession—a tangible tug on my spirit that has reached across the void of miles. There have been moments where the air around me suddenly changed, prompting me to call her and ask: "Did you just pray for me?" The answer is always yes.

She pleads for others with a fierce, radiant advocacy . Her faith is a "Glitter" faith that catches the light of heaven and scatters it into the darkest corners of our lives. To stand beside her is to be reminded that we are never truly alone in the desert, provided there is someone like Emily unceasingly calling us toward the spring.