Today is my best friends birthday. We have been friends for close to 40 years.
We have grown and changed and encouraged and prayed for each other, as we walked and shared.
Throughout the years, she has been the one person I can share openly with and have no worries about her reaction.
She counsels me with wisdom and thoughts. She is bright and educated and has a heart of compassion.
I used to live three blocks from her, we spent many hours walking and going through unfinished homes being built.
I remember me asking, “Is this ok? can we really go inside?” She had a heart for new building and yes; we did go in.
It was always an adventure.
She challenged me and also reminded me of God’s gifts given.
The first time we met it was at a bible study and she had been praying for someone to sit with her.
I walked in and said, “can I sit here?” It was a friendship that began and still is taking place.
Our boys played together and we would watch them in her big yard, it was so funny because my rule was no guns.
You didn’t pretend to shoot someone, didn’t even let my son have a squirt gun. I was against it.
Her boys didn’t know what to think of that, as they played cops and robbers all the time.
My son would take the pretend gun and point it at the ceiling, leaving her sons to wonder why.
It was actually quite comical and to hear her tell the story is even more funny.
As they grew up my son became a police officer. How funny is that, he ended up with at least three guns on him.
That’s ok I wanted him safe. In fact I wanted even more protection on him.
As we have grown and changed, she has had new health issues and I have too.
We pray and encourage each other and I am thankful for any conversation or any visit I can have with her.
We all know time is not always on our side, and every minute we are able to say, ‘Hi, happy birthday’
is a gift we both give ourselves.
I miss her. She moved away and it’s a three hour drive just to walk into her door.
We always begin where we left off. It’s like there has been no time difference.
I wish I could walk down the road and see her.
But the reality is, she is happy, in love, and is healthy and in peace.
What more would I want?
Today is my best friends birthday, and today get to say to her, “Happy birthday.”