I have cool friends {Dancing On My Ashes}

Holly Wall was one of my first friends at college.

Here we are in all of our 1995 glory.

Our fathers had a mutual friend and my dad told me to keep an eye out for this Holly girl.  She had just gotten word that there was room for her at Moody a few days before class started, but she was told she might have to sleep in the lounge for a week or so (as inevitably, some other poor freshman girl would get scared of the big city and go home).  We instantly connected.  This "Holly from the Lounge" became one of my dearest friends.  She also met Scott Nesbitt that year.  They quickly fell in love, dated the next couple years, and I stood in their wedding in the spring of 1996.  Holly is amazing in many ways.  Every time I watch American Idol, I say to Chris, "Holly is so much better than her."  Holly has an unforgettable voice.  She has the kind of voice that can sing any note effortlessly.  It simply comes out beautiful.  She was to sing at our wedding in 2000.  She was to come all the way from Vermont where she and Scott, along with their two-year old daughter, Emma, had just started a Christian adventure camp.  This was Scott's childhood dream, and I was so thrilled for them.

There are some moments in life you won't ever forget.  One night, a couple of months before my wedding,  Holly called me and said, "I don't know how to tell you this, but Scott is dead.  He died in a canoeing accident."  I immediately escaped into Chris' closet and closed the door.  I sat and cried, listening to her grieve.  She explained that her sister's husband had died in the same accident, leaving them both widows in their early 20's.

Well, I'll leave you with that.  The before and after of that story is written in their book, Dancing On My Ashes.

 They tell their story, but mostly they tell of God's faithfulness and healing in their lives.  They continue to use their story to minister to others who have suffered deep loss.  When we met for coffee the other day, she told me that she and her sister, Heather, were about to go speak to military wives.  They also minister at various women's retreats.  You can also check them out on their facebook page here.

Thanks, Holly, for your friendship over ALL these years!