My friend Rachel

My friend Rachel died suddenly and tragically this weekend, a blood clot took her life quickly and without warning.

Rachel and I first met when I was ten and attended boarding school together, living together in the same dorm for five years. Though we were a grade apart we were nearly always in the same classroom together. There were only about eight of us at that boarding school and Rachel was truly like a sister to me. After leaving the school and moving on our different ways we remained pen pals through high school and we've more recently kept in touch through our blogs with occasional comments back and forth. Because of our shared experiences growing up together Rachel's notes have always been meaningful.

I loved reading Rachel's blog posts, they were encouraging to me because she so clearly loved God, her husband and her children. I will miss her updates. And I feel so deeply for the loss Scott and the children are feeling now, I can't even imagine what that would be like. I am having a hard time understanding why things like this happen in our world, but I do know that Rachel touched many lives, including mine.

I pulled out the "Indonesia" pictures a few days ago. There was Rachel participating in my silly school presentations about rocket launches and nuclear power plants. Rachel was always there, interested in my crazy inventions. She was the first "customer" of the dorm phone system I wired together. Rachel validated my quirky interests and looking back I see how valuable her input was in my life.

Just a week before her death Rachel along with her husband Scott were rejoicing in the birth of their 3rd child, Caynah Grace ("Powerful Grace"). In describing the name she said "I know Who has a Powerful Grace and I wanted my daughter to be 'labeled' with our Lord." How profound that is now.

Rachel leaves behind two other children, Aleah and Bruce.

Scott, I have never met you but I know you are a great man and I'm praying for you, I'm so sorry for your loss. May God bring a powerful grace to you. Your farewell to Rachel is beautiful. Joshua, Caleb, Mr. and Mrs. Allen, you are all in my heart and prayers as well.

Goodbye Rachel. May you bring special blessing to God!

- Adriel