February 15, 2008

• A Tribute to Emma-Lee

   
  

  Many of you have read about my friend, Emma Lee, over the past few years. Emma-Lee went to be with her Savior this past week after a year long fight with stomach cancer. Her services will be held at out church today.

  
  

   

  
  

  In Loving Memory of Emma-Lee

  
  

  Each of our lives will leave a lasting memory on those we have known. Emma-Lee’s life has touched mine in so many ways. I will forever remember Emma-Lee each time I look at the lovely freesia flowers she gave me when they bloom, for her love of baking for her family, for the cookie sheet she bought me because mine was so old, for the metal scrubber she insisted I purchase to CLEAN the cookie sheet she bought me, for her homemade caramels and cream puffs she spent the day teaching a group of us from the church how to make, for her giving nature that offered rides to those without transportation to pick up their brown bags, for the many rides she offered her friend with cancer to take her for treatment, for the day she invited a group of us to make tamales in her home, for never complaining about her finances and for her love and devotion to her grandchildren.

  
  

  
  But, most of all, I will remember my friend Emma-Lee  for her faithfulness to her church. Emma-Lee rarely missed a Sunday service and if she did you knew it was for a very, very good reason. She faithfully attended each woman’s bible study, Titus 2 Saturday meeting, church pot blessing along with vacation bible school. I heard she also taught the young school children from the Elementary School down the street during religious release time years ago and a children’s Sunday school class. One of the young girls from our church fondly remembers her often getting up early on a Sunday morning to make cream puffs for the entire congregation.

  
  

  But, above all of this, I will remember this past year while Emma -Lee was fighting cancer, and how she continued to remain faithful in her attendance. I sat by her many Sunday’s when she was not feeling well. Oftentimes, as she was sitting and listening to a sermon or singing a hymn, the pain from the cancer in her stomach would hit without warning. Instead, of getting up and leaving , she would quietly double over and wait for the pain to pass. She made it a point to sit in the back row so that she wouldn’t draw attention to herself. I often thought about how easy it would have been for her to stay home. If anyone had a good excuse to miss church it would have been her. But, she often told me that now was not a time for her to slack off attending church. Church was important to Emma-Lee and now that her life on this earth has ended I am sure as she stands before her God she is thankful that she made knowing Him the top priority in her life.

  
  

  I thank God you are free from your pain, Emma Lee, and that you will never cry another tear. I’ll miss you, my dear friend, but I am so grateful to have known you and most of all to have the joyful assurance that I will see you again soon in the not so distance future.

  
  

  Your friend,

  
  

  
  Georgene

  
  

  

  
  

   Emma-Lee’s church

  
  

  

  
  

  Emma-Lee sorting clothes to give to the poor.

  
  

  

  
  

  Tamale making day at Emma-Lee’s home.

  
  

  

  
  

  Two of the girls she taught in Sunday school learning to make caramels.

  
  

   

  
  

  

  
  

  The finishing touches on her caramels.

  
  

   

  
  

  

  
  

  Her famous cream puffs. (Her recipes for the caramels and cream puffs can be found on my website).

  
  

  

  
  

  Here Emma-Lee is teaching my granddaughter how to crack an egg.

  
  

  

  
  

  Emma-Lee was doing a chorus-line ‘kick’ and the girls in the kitchen at church were laughing at her.

  
  

  

  
  

  Our precious Emma-Lee! We will miss you!

  • 8:17 am
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