This is my side of the story. I'm going to start with this and stop in the middle around where Lydia's story and mine converge.

Sunday night around 6:44 I got a text from Emily, saying "Everyone please pray! My non has fallen and isn't breathing they're taking her to the hospital. This is serious! Please pray!" This message was sent at 6:44. I saw the text read it, re-read it and decided it was in fact about Emily's mom. I prayed. I prayed hard, and fast.
I went about changing my clothes, because I was going out to meet my dear friend Meghan. I walked out of my room grabbed my keys and was saying to good-bye to everyone. As I was getting ready to leave I quickly told my mother, almost as an afterthought, about the text from Emily. She immediately stopped what she was doing and prayed aloud with me for Mrs. Sample, and their family.
I got on the road. I drove up to the interstate until I got to my exit where I came to a light, that was red. I checked my phone hoping to hear something from Emily. There was a text. "My mom died today. Please pray for my family." So many things went through my head, so many thoughts, so many feelings. I sat there at that light and just cried.
When the light changed I drove and parked in a parking lot for like 10 minutes and just cried and prayed and tried to think. When I finally got to Meghan's house, I was holding it together, but as soon as I saw her, I burst into tears and she held me. And I cried.
Rather than immediately leave her house, we went and talked for a little bit and then once I was not crying and was sober we left her house and went to my place of work for a smoothie. I needed to clear my head and process, but I needed a distraction. It just couldn't be true.
I kept waiting and waiting to hear from Lydia, I couldn't contact her. When we got there, we went inside (me with big red eyes) and just sat for a little bit. I got up to go to the bathroom, and to talk with one of my co-workers, who I just happen to get along with so well. I told him what happened, and he just held me for a moment. He felt my pain, even if it was just some of the pain, for just a moment.
While we were there, Meghan and I just sat and talked and talked about the whole situation. And we had times of just silence. I was waiting. Waiting to hear something else. And then came the wave, the wave of texts and phone calls.
Finally, I heard from Lydia. She called me, and I ran outside and sat on the porch and we talked, we mostly cried and cried and cried. But we talked some also. We hung up, and she got in contact with some other people trying to figure out if we should meet up at the hospital or not. While she was figuring it all out, my dad called. He wanted to make sure what they had heard was true. It was, and I was hurting so badly. He asked me what I wanted to do, and I just said I don't know. I really don't know. Lydia called, and said that people were meeting at the hospital to pray with the family, and after much deliberation I decided to go. I didn't want to be just one more person there, but I wanted to be there for my dear Emily. My dad met me and drove me there.
The first person I saw was an old friend of mine, Gloria. As soon as she saw me she ran to me and we wept and held eachother. I was waiting to see Lydia, so we could go to Emily together. As soon as Lydia was there we held eachother and cried. We pulled ourselves together just a little bit and entered the hospital Chapel.
Tis something I will never forget, ever. When we entered the chapel, there were quite a few people in there. Everyone was surrounding Emily and her father. People were praying with their hands outstretched to God and tears were flowing from everyones eyes. It was quite. So very quiet. Everyone was silent, but their pastor (or who I'm assuming was their pastor). He was praying aloud for their family. It was beautiful.
This is about where everything became the same for Lydia and I. I will say this, never have I hugged nor told so many people how I cared for them, than on this night. We all were feeling one way. Heavy and hurting.