There are new friends who are in the process of learning all the nooks and crannies of who you are. They are fun and fresh and very much needed. They are growing into those people who WILL know you forever. But, then there are those people who HAVE known you for so long they have become an extension of who you are. At your best, worst and every where in between they have seen you. You have fallen out of grace with each other over the years, but the bind of Christ has reminded you that this person is family. Therefore, they have never really been very far away.
The truth is that I have about three friends who fall into this, "have known me forever, but love me anyway," category. Two of them already live far and it hurts. I think I always had this comfort knowing that at least one was close at hand. Now they will all be far away.
You know the friends that I am talking about. They are the ones that you can call and vent about your weird quirks, like the way that you can't just understand why others can't get the public bathroom etiquette of "If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweetie and wipe the seatie." COME ON NOW!! These are the people who KNOW that you CAN NOT stand it when people chew loudly... SOOO.. They either A) Do not call you up and chew loudly in your ear, or B) Do not mind when they forget and do, that you make a rude comment about cows chewing their cud. There is no expectation of niceness there. All of your idiosyncrasies have been out in the open like a bleeding sore for way too long, and they know you and love you for it. As a matter of fact when you blog about how weird you are, they call you up and remind you they don't love you in spite of yourself, but because of who you are. These are the ones that let you stand tall on your soap box and rant about the injustice of the world. The plight of the poor, the orphans, the hurting and the hopeless, are not topics that they tire of because they are the burden of your heart. They never tell you that you are crazy and they love your insanity.
We laugh together and we weep. There has literally been triumph and tragedy. The memories are rich. You have secrets that no one else is allowed to know, except Jesus who knows everything anyway. Whenever you get together you laugh until you cry. My closest friends have a way with Nacho Libre, Napoleon Dynamite, Abba and Ishtar like no one else.
I never have to explain myself. They have seen me grow through so many seasons of my life. Some of them have not been so flattering. It is not that we never judge each other. It is that we have and have survived to grow past it in forgiveness. They are the ones that call you up and remember your dreams.
Today I stand on the crux of all three of these people living too far away. Sure, there is the phone, the email, the blog, the visits and the history. Thankfully, the Lord has knit us so tightly that they are family. There is the future.
As the old refrigerator magnet reads, "I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future." I can rest assured that my Savior is the same yesterday, today and forever. He cares that I need these people in my life. But, as much as I am an advocate for change, I am not liking this one at all. Maybe, I can get the other two to move to Florida, if one is moving away???
In the meantime, tonight I am just a little melancholy. Yes, it will be alright. But, these three amazing women know who they are. Tonight, I am missing them all very much.
I can't wait until heaven when we can stand hand in hand all in awe of our Lord. That thought tonight comforts me and brings thoughts of when we will all be together at "home."
2 comments:
Ah. Now you made me cry.
Obama will make change easier. He is all about change.
Don't worry ... this election solves all of our issues including the one you write about.
Change is good. It is so good, that you should throw all logic in the trash to chase change to the edge of the rainbow
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