In a few short days the one year anniversary of the death of one of my closest friends will be upon me. She was more than a friend, she was my preacher man husbands sister. From the first time I met her I made it my goal to win her over.....since I have two sisters of my own, I know girls and I knew pretty quick she was a contender.
She was a few years older than my preacher man which was fine until I realized she was my age. I am older also than him......which was not a problem...he was taller!(the logic I had back then!!) To him though, she was the dreaded big sister...and that was pretty much their relationship. This was going to be an uphill battle.
But, it turned out that it was pretty smooth. Me being a person who always wanted to be liked and her need to be the boss of him (not really, but she was already the enemy and I was soon becoming a traitor!)I think in his eyes at least I was on treacherous ground. It was understandable since in ALL families the kids are some days on the same side and on other days mortal enemies. Nothing so shocking about that. I am from a family of four kids...and we had four kids.......drama times four!
We did become fast friends and spent the next nearly thirty years, raising our kids, talking on the phone every day(thank you Lord for the invention of call waiting, that was about the death of me)since to get through the day we had long conversations about anything from baby rashes to the world news and everything in-between. Some days we would venture out of the house to tour the local Wal-Mart or fast food kid meals and playgrounds. Yep we had a big life....oh me!
Our families would hang out and we would cook great suppers and play cards and visit and compare our husbands. The rub was that mine was her baby brother....like I said treacherous grounds. But with many good and bad days...fights and fusses....prayers and intercession we were tight. Our lives were inter-twinned. She was my people..... my sister just as much as my two blood sisters and in the adult time of my life I was with her more.
So after one year with out her I can honestly say it has been hard. It wasn't fair...we didn't have enough time. There wasn't enough time for her to spend with her grande babies. No one loved babies more than her. Where I liked only my kids...mostly, she loved to play with all babies(weird!) but sweet of her. Those grand babies were her heart after her two boys who were her pride and joy. She loved her boys and she was such a better sports mother than me....she was at every event, no matter the distance. In my defense...three kids on three different fields.....exhausting!
I could tell funny stories for days about our adventures, we were a cross between Lucy and Ethel and Laverne and Shirley; many stories are too unmentionable(funny as well as gross!) but most of them were silly, just like we were. We have shopped on the curbs of the finest homes(they leave their "junk" out there to be picked up)(we were recyclers before it was cool)and did every craft that was in style. She would call and say..."you up Ethel?.....lets go eat breakfast after the kids go to school" and we would go....pony tails and sweat pants, we didn't care.
My loss is in no way anything like that of her husband and boys, but it is my pain. I had the best friend for a time...we were brutal on each other as well as full of love. This has been a lonesome year for me. I cherish my friends and I cherish the time I had with her. I am not sad for her, she is healed and beautiful and happy and where she lived her life to go, in heaven worshiping her Savior. I would not want her to come back to the pain she felt before she passed. I know I will see her again.
So in tribute to her, I post her picture as my header for my blog. This is the place I share my heart and I wanted to honor her in some small way, my way. Jesus knows my pain and he has carried me through. We all have lost people in our lives, I am nothing special but this is my friend...my sister....so this is my way to honor her. If she was writing this she would say...don't weep for me, give your heart to the Lord, follow HIM, He is the Way, Truth and the Life, He brings peace and he loves YOU!
This is what I say also......Jesus is the only way.
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John 3:16 (Photo credit: Martin LaBar)[/caption]
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