Sometimes the cycle of life brings tears

Tomorrow my friend and neighbor is moving to Salt Lake City. It is a hard thing for me tonight to write some of these feelings down because they are truly tender. Emma cried herself to sleep tonight because she had to say goodbye to her best friend. They have had a love hate relationship for a whole year now, as all close friends do, but over the year they have taught each other new and exciting things; the most important being how to get along! I think my relationship with my neighbor Koky has been in a way a lot like Emma's and Fiorella's just in a more adult type of manner. Our neighbors are originally from Peru and they have customs and cultures that I didn't understand. From day one I learned of an interesting connection between the two of us with the gospel and knew my sister was next to me. I may have not understood her ways but she still stood next to me. Because of her I was able to have an awesome missionary experience with her older daughter where I gave away my first Book of Mormon, which in turn led me to have the courage to give another one away at Emma's baptism. Koky and I have had our differences but we've also shared tears, a lot of laughs and a lot of hugs. We have shared good times and frustrating times. There have been times of reflection and understanding between the two of us. There was a time early on that I remember coming back from being over to her house and being frustrated with something that she had said. Now looking back I realize that it was me being stubborn and unwilling to look at her for who she is in our Heavenly Fathers eyes. She has an internal and eternal strength that I admire. She stands quietly as a witness of Jesus Christ to her girls. I say quietly because the gospel of Jesus Christ is shared in a different manner in her home and she stands quietly so that she can be supportive to her husband without causing contention. This was something I had a hard time understanding at first. How do you stand as a witness and not shout it from the roof tops? Slowly I learned that there could be a quiet, gentle, and submissive manner to being a witness because that was how there was love in her home. I came to realize that my spitfire friend who never took no from anyone was a different person when it came to loving in her home. I learned and witnessed that quiet gentleness by watching her with her husband and her girls. I watched and learned it again as she often talked with my girl! Why is it that you finally see someone for who they are, learn to love them, and then they have to move away? The Lord works mysteriously sometimes, that is until we finally understand! I am so blessed to finally understand! I have been richly blessed to have this sweet family in my life and in my families life. I pray that the Lord will be closely with them and that the gospel will forever from now on be a tremendous part of their hearts....all of their hearts. Hey man a girl can wish right? I love you guys. You'll be really missed in more ways then a just few.
P.S. The picture is Emma and Fiorella at her going away party. They made S'mores, something Fiorella had never done!