A Note From the Family

We are glad you are visiting here and we hope that being here encourages and inspires you in your life. We ask that you browse around a while here and get to know Em a little more and get glimpses into her life. You can maybe see what her sister, her friends, and her teammates have to say about her and read about what made Em so special. After staying and getting to know her more, we invite you to go to the “closing thoughts” section.

Our prayer is that while there you will find a message of hope that will strengthen you and be something you can hold on to if and when you ever experience trials in your own life.

Jeff, Selena & Sarah Duits
(dad, mom and sister of Emily)

For those of you that have endured the heart break of losing a loved one unexpectedly or find yourself struggling with finding your footing in life, may you understand that you are not alone. There are others that “know” your pain and, more importantly, God knows and weeps with you. Though in your grief you may feel forsaken, we must understand that God is sovereign. It may sound cliché, but we do not know the big picture and the ways that He weaves. In our own experience with the searching for “why” and “how come”, we believe that God does not “cause” accidents and sickness but He may allow them to occur to bring about the things that we may not know…at least not now. It seems to be a part of living in a sinful world.

The thing we know about our circumstance is that when all else makes no sense, that God is still God! And He truly does uphold us with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). And when you pass through the waters, He is with us and when we walk through the fire, He says we will not be burned (Isaiah 43:2). And in Psalm 34:18, He says that He is close to the broken hearted and He saves those that are crushed in spirit. How do we know this to be true? Because very simply….we have survived! For 1 year, 3 months, and running, we have somehow lived with the excruciating pain without our beloved daughter, adored sister, and amazing friend Emily! There is no other way to explain how you survive the tragedies of this life without being carried by the Lord. The poem “Footprints” takes on a whole new meaning when you actually experience it!

There is a saying that goes like this:

I believe in the sun even when it isn’t shining.
I believe in love even when it isn’t felt.
And I believe in God even when He is silent.

We don’t know your pain but we experience our own. It is our prayer that you might encounter some hope here at this website. And may you come to believe full well that all things will be revealed someday with the assurance of Heaven. Heaven is a real place and our loved ones are not only a part of our past…..they are in our future!!

Thank you for visiting Em’s website! Hoping for you that you find joy and purpose in your lives as we press on towards the goal which is Christ Jesus.