I can’t wait for you to meet Emily. One, because once I describe her, you’re going to start to get a good idea of just how diverse and intricate each one of my friends are, especially as you compare these first three characters. Two, because Emily is one of those super special people that God gifts with one of his special gifts- not that all of His gifts aren’t special, but He just gave Emily one that he uses sparingly. That special gift is the gift of dance, ballet specifically. Emily is our little ballerina friend. Yes, we all had dancer friends in high school, but my ballerina friend was better than yours, she didn’t even have to go to college, she just went straight to professional ballerina world, she’s that good. She could dance circles around your ballerina friends. OK, I’m a proud friend, I’m sure your friend was good too- but mine is brilliant and beautiful as well. Let me just tell you about her…
How I met Emily: Emily was actually in my fifth grade class with Mrs. Mason. I thought Emily was the bee’s knees. Seriously, I met her on the first day and instantly wanted to be her friend. She may not have known before how cool I thought she was, but let’s be real- she had perfect, no-bump pony-tails (and she only had to use, like, two clips), she had gel pens in every color of the rainbow, and she fit in everywhere- she could ball it up on the court, dance around in tutus, and everybody wanted to be her friend. I was no exception.
My first memory of Emily: It really is just more a collection of memories. Two stand out. Because gel pens really stole the show in fifth grade, Mrs. Mason took notice, and to hopefully minimize the obsessive usage, she hand-sewed us all gel pen holders that attached to the back of our chairs. (Thinking back to that, she was really kind!) I didn’t have as many gel pens as everyone else. Emily was nice- she gave me some of hers. My favorite seating arrangement was the time I got to sit by Emily. The other memory involved a certain club entitled the BFF’s. (Clever, I know). It was very exclusive (only four members) and I knew I didn’t have a shot. Well, Emily did, naturally, and I was just proud to be her friend. This exclusive club afforded her great privileges, including skipping around the playground arm-in-arm with her BFF clubbers. Knock-offs attempted their coolness to no avail.
Highlights of our Glory Years: All of my high school girls led very different lives; we all had different interests and schedules. But Emily’s was definitely the most different, as she had to spend a lot of time (more so in the latter years of high school) doing different ballerina-type events. How she maintained a better GPA than the rest of us (oh, did I mention she was also the Salutatorian?) and achieve elite ballerina status, I’ll never know. God graced her with greater patience, endurance and discipline than the rest of us. But those times when the weekends were ours and we all got time together were the best. Emily was my sideline buddy, she almost never missed a game and she didn’t become a cheerleader like the rest. Other weekends, we got the privilege of watching Emmy light up the stage in whatever role she was placed in- usually we would see Nutcracker performances. She always blew my mind- that was my friend up there, contorting her body in ways I could never even dream of attempting!
Who she was then: I think you’re getting a good idea- she was a ballerina. She was probably the only student at Faith that maintained what could be considered a full-time job while being a top-notch student. She was a student council member and a teacher’s favorite. She was ultra-polite and possessed the same kind of grace off the stage as she did on stage. You could probably find her during the school day next to Jenilee on her mac, but Em was doing next week’s homework, not because she was a nerd and liked school, but because she was disciplined and knew her schedule. She may have confused the rest of the mostly incompetent teenagers around her, but she was driven and strived for her dreams and knew the costs that came with it. She loved her friends dearly; she was always full of encouragement, and she truly had a compassionate heart. She’s still one of the best listeners I’ve ever known, she puts others above herself, and she spent her time in school with her friends genuinely interested in their day-to-day activities, pouring scripture over our lives at any given opportunity.
Who she is now: I don’t know all the fancy talk for what she does; I try so hard to understand when she explains to me her ballet life, and I do take in a few things, but ballet world also has its own language (I mean, really it kind of does, since it’s French). Here’s what I do know: Emily is now in her fourth year of professional ballerina-ship. She dances for the Sarasota Ballet in Florida, and while I haven’t gotten the chance to see any of her performances as a profesh, I’m sure she is stunning as ever. Emily has such a unique take on her gift- she completely submits it to the Lord, and it is her own personal, unique, intimate form of worship, yet we get to witness it. She knows deep in her heart that the Lord created her for beauty- and that’s simply enough. I know I catch a glimpse of the Lord’s character when I see her dance, especially in her humility (I have to tell you that she is humble, because naturally, if she told you she was humble, that would defeat the point). She had to step straight into adulthood while the rest of us stepped into our dorms and the next stage of our educational lives. She even did that with excellence- I just think she is really brave, and she very much trusts in her Lord.
Who would play her if my made-up book hit the big screens: this is a total wildcard, but maybe Kiera Knightly or Nicole Kidman (she looks graceful, but who knows?)
I rarely get to see Em anymore, but I get to hear her sweet, encouraging voice fairly often. Emily always remembers to call, and she remembers what’s going on in your life, and she asks. She really knows how to make someone feel cherished and loved. I know that the world she lives in isn’t always the easiest one, there’s just not that many Emily Dixon’s in the dance world. It’s a completely different world in the fine arts- yet she is truly a light in her “office”, her work is her mission field, and her daily practices are a testament to the Lord’s favor on her life. She’s so sugary sweet, you’d think she was the next Disney princess! Take a look at her pictures and tell me she isn’t the most captivatingly beautiful dancer you’ve ever seen! I’m a proud friend :)
Pictures of Emily
Love you, Em!
RB
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