Saturday, January 23, 2016

Friends

I'm sad today.  A friend is moving to another state tomorrow.  I came into this friendship just seven years ago.  The other two in this triangle have been friends practically their whole lives.  It is rare and such a treasure to have such a long friendship.  Friendships are strange and wonderful things.  There are some people that you know you can depend on from the moment that you meet them.  You just know.  If you have a handful of those, you are blessed.
I went today to help her clean her house.  It is all packed away and the moving truck sits ready in her drive.  I decided on the way there that I wasn't going to act like this was goodbye.  I was just going to help a friend clean her house.
The vacuums didn't drown out the thinking that my heart was doing from the minute I opened the door.
Going through the motions of wiping counter tops and steam mopping floors was not covering the memories that were surfacing.  Just last month, I'd come bringing a meal to welcome a new baby.  Sitting in a living room lit only by the Christmas tree, we had visited for a while and just talked about life.  A year of Thursday night Bible studies had happened in this living room...now empty. It was during this Bible study that we started using the phrase "It'll be just right." to describe things that are done in a hurry and might not live up to perfection.  However, in the whole big scheme of things they really don't matter when you are around friends who don't judge.  Food that might be slightly burned, kids that might not be dressed perfectly....all things that simply don't matter when you're meeting to study God's word.  Mommies and daddies sitting on the floor trying to learn God's word together and trying to support each other in this thing called life.
No trampoline, no swing set, no sign of birthday balloon animals and clown noses from parties past were in the backyard today.  Isn't it strange how we hurry through those days and then realize later how special they are?
Several girls nights out were spent with three friends lying on the couches and talking about life.  The movies that we intended to watch were never played.  Those were good times.  Important times.
Meals eaten with our families, games played with guys against girls, prayers said, life shared......all with good friends.
My prayer is that her new home is filled with love, laughter, and friends.  I'm sure "it will be just right."
Treasure friends.  Seek Christian friends.  Encourage one another.  Build a network.  The older I get, the more I see that these are some of the best blessings I have.



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