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Always be an Inspiration (Posted Sep 10 2005) Colleen Nguyen - Friend In Remembrance of Julie -- written for her memorial service, September 10, 2005 We must have written and rewritten this remembrance a hundred times this week. Wasn't sure if we should start with the memories of how I would tell a joke that wasn't that funny, but Julie would laugh so hard she'd cry or how she would always have a way of venting that was so Julie that it was endearing -- She'd call and say, hi, ok, im gonna vent, ok? And right after our ok, she'd go off. or how she was the insistent one who encouraged that we resolve life's issues now and NOT sweep them under the rug. So, after much remembering and much tears this is the Julie I knew. Always honest, always real. I met her in college, but it was really after college that we bonded -- over tea, about boys, about family, over the phone. Each time she called me I always knew that the conversation would last at least an hour. Sometimes she would say, "This is like a counseling session!" But now, Looking back, it is her life that continues to counsel me. My best memory of her was only a week before she left for the Philippines. She came over to my house and we talked the whole afternoon. We sat at the dining table, on the couch and then moved to the day bed in the guest room. We talked so long that my parents who were visiting had gone out, ate lunch, and ran errands and returned surprised that we were still yabbering away. I do not know one person that was more passionate than Julie. She always wanted badly to do things right, to see the good in everything She wanted to love her family, to be healthy: emotionally, physically. Above all, She wanted to make sure that she was obeying God's plan for her life. Then there was that magical moment.. Like in that children's book that so intricately explains the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. I saw it. I saw her take that leap. She followed that sweet quiet voice --- The voice we often ignore or drown out -- she heard and obeyed. She let God embrace her completely. As a result, she blossomed so beautifully, she was so alive. she was the one encouraging me, helping me in my faith. Last month, I told her about a small step of faith/obedience I had taken and she wrote amongst other advice and encouragement: "I'm proud of you." I am inspired. I only hope that I may live with as much faith, passion, courage and resolve as she did. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jules, I may not fully understand now why you left. But I trust. I must trust. I love you. I miss you so much. Thank you for the time you spent with me, I am so grateful and will always keep those memories with me.
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