Old Friend in My Box

Thanks to Facebook I was reunited with a friend from our days in Tennessee that I hadn't seen in 28 years. We met at a Chili's Restaurant and talked until we were hoarse. One of the first things she asked me through tear-filled eyes was, "Tell me why we were friends. What was it that made our friendship special?"

Her question caught me by surprise and I had to think for a moment. I responded that first and most important was the way she loved my daughter. Our daughters were two weeks apart in age and they became very close playmates, as close as two years olds can be! I could trust Caron's care to her and never worry or wonder if all was well. Secondly, I told her that I loved her house. She had a Jenn-Air stovetop that was fantastic. Third was the fantastic Mississippi Mud Cake that she fixed fairly often. That one was sort of a joke!

I am still pondering her question and I still haven't come up with a profound answer. We were just friends. Nothing magical about it, just friends. I knew that I could call on her at any time for any reason and she would be there for me. When I was pregnant with our second child she volunteered to keep Caron while I was in the hospital. It was in the middle of the night when Josh decided to make his appearance, and we had to call and awaken my friend to let her know we were on our way with our precious Caron. I was able to leave my daughter knowing she would be safe and loved while I was away....and she was. What a special gift she gave to me. When I had our third child she did the same thing. She kept Caron and another friend kept Josh.

Then there was another time I had to call her for help. It was on a Wednesday afternoon and I was washing dishes and all of a sudden I dropped the glass I was washing and I couldn't see out of my left eye. I was scared to death and immediately called my friend. She came and got Caron and Josh, prayed for me and took them to her home. I went to bed and had my first migraine headache. But, because of my friend, I was able to work through the headache knowing my children were safe and secure. I ended up meeting her at church for Wednesday night supper!

We moved from Tennessee back to Birmingham in 1981 and I lost touch with my friend and her family. I tried to locate them but no one seemed to have an address or phone number. I recently looked on Myspace.com and other on-line search devices without success. I tried Facebook a couple of times but nothing happened there, either; at least not until about six weeks ago when I couldn't sleep one night, and I plugged in my friend's daughter's name. It was a shot in the dark but I had nothing to lose. Up popped about 300 names. Since I couldn't sleep, I decided I'd look at every picture and hunt down the daughter. I finally came upon a young woman that I thought looked like her and sent her a message. And, can you believe it? It was her! She let her mom know that I was looking for her and we've been emailing and talking on the phone ever since.

That's the neat thing about friends. Real friends. You can be apart for years...even 28 of them...and pick right up where you left off. She will always be a special friend. She will always pray for me and my family, whether we're communicating or not. She will always be my sister in Christ because we love and serve the same Lord.

Do you have a friend that you can call in times of trouble? Times of joy? Someone who will share the load of life with you? If you do, then you are a rich person. Friends enrich our lives at different seasons for different reasons. Some fade in and out but their mark is left behind. As I recall my friends through the years, I have been so blessed to have had some of the most wonderful friends in the world.

Thank you Father, for my special Tennessee friend.