A bad start to the weekend, but the joy of another good friend!

 

Well, this weekend is not starting off very well.  I was so anxious to be finally FREE at 4:35 this afternoon.  Looking forward to an exciting day tomorrow (finding out the gender of our next grandchild : ) ) and then the weekend in general.  Went out to my car and it wouldn't start.  Noticed that one of the little hands that I cart around must have turned on the dome light in my car!  So I was hopeful that I just needed a jump!  Called Ken, he arrived about 45 minutes later, tried to get the car to start with our jumper cables - no luck.  Waited another 30 minutes for the Nanny dad to get home with another set of cables.  Tried their cables - no luck.  Called for the tow truck.  Finally at 7:20pm, the truck arrived and towed my car off to the repair shop.   Car repairs in general are a PAIN!  But for me, it means that I can't work if my car doesn't work!  Part of my duties as a nanny for 4 children, includes driving them to school!  So, we are praying that it is just a battery and nothing more. Updates to follow............

And, speaking of updates.....  My "new" old couch arrived yesterday!  We are so please with the redo of this old piece.  It looks modern and fresh and I love the fabric we settled on.  I am feeling like I have a new living room!   And tonight I will chose to celebrate the GOOD things in my life. 

So, now my life-long friend of the day.......... (NOTE - part of what Jesus has been speaking to me in this process, is that I have really been surrounded by MANY, MANY good friends at every stage of my life!  It is really difficult to choose who to blog about! I know that this really does not have much to do with who I am, but rather is about who Jesus has placed in my life.)

Today I want to focus on one of my closest friends, Diane Bottoms.  Diane and I met in 1991.  We were in the midst of parenting "tweens and teens".  Diane has 4 children that are all around Gwen and Doug's age.We met while waiting to pick up kids from the Jr. Youth program at our church.   For me, Diane has been that person to whom I NEVER have to explain myself.  She just GETS me.  And another amazing thing, is that I GET her!  That means that we have been there for each other.  Holding each other up, praying for and with each other, understanding each other, listening to each other.  I mean, really, is there anything better than that?  And now we are Grandma's together.  There was a point when Diane thought her kids would never get married and she would never have any grandchildren.  Well, she now has me beat with 4 grandchildren and a 5th on the way!  We have really been through a lot together.  But Diane is really someone that I respect and admire BECAUSE of what she has been through.   She has trusted in Jesus in the worst possible situations.  She did not lose hope.  She has changed her entire life with courage and boldness.  She is a powerful women of God.  I am so blessed to call her my friend.  One of the best things is that I convinced her to try out scrapbooking, and now she is hooked!  This means that we get to spend lots of time together AND we get to scrapbook at the same time. 

I like to think of this type of friend as a "sister-friend".  You know what I mean.  You have so much in common that you might as well be sisters.  I am so thankful that Jesus knows when you really need to have someone like this in your life.  You think that what you have going on is SOOOOOO bad that no one can understand, and then up pops this "sister-friend".  She has her own stuff that she is dealing with, but suddenly you don't feel so alone. And you start to think that if SHE can have faith and trust that Jesus is going to get her through this storm, then you just might make it through yours.  The interesting thing is that instead of your problems and her problems equalling a BIG mess of problems, what happens is that your problems and her problems ends up equalling LESS of a problem because you each bring the others to Jesus.  And you have faith for that other person, when they can't quite muster it up.  Yep, Diane and I are life-long friends of the best kind - the "sister-friend" kind!

Jesus, thank you so much for these special friends.  Holy Spirit continue to remind me of all of the friends you have placed in my life, and also remind all those reading this blog about their friends.  Jesus you desire for us to know you as our provision.  Thank you for using this blog to remind me of the wonderful people you have provided in my life.  Jesus, bless Diane and her family.  Thank you for her faith and trust in you.  And Jesus, thank you for my new "old" couch!  Amen

Newspaper article, Helen Keller and another old friend...

Today I have seen a couple of interesting things on the Internet.  First, in my local paper. There was a feature story about two "life-long friends" who are celebrating their 100th birthday.  Isn't that amazing?   And they were able to celebrate together.  The picture actually showed them sitting together with their hands clasped.  What a marvelous story of friendship.  And then I happened on an incredible video.  Can I just say, that you can find almost anything on You Tube.  I don't know exactly how I linked into this video, but you need to take a moment and watch this link.  Even You Tube says that this is a RARE video.  It is Helen Keller.  As I was watching this video, I was thinking about the special kind of friendship she had with her two long-time aids.  First, Ann Sullivan and then in the later years, Polly Thomson.  Yes, this was a super special friendship that was life changing for Helen Keller. 

So with these couple of things just showing up, I've decided that Jesus must really have something that he is trying to communicate to me about friendship this week.   I guess I will continue on down this road.................

Me and Sue Avery Ryan in 1987

So my next "long time" friend that I want to tell you about is someone from my very long ago past.  I actually met her when I was 6 years old and she was 5 years old.  Even though we were only 6 months apart in age we were in different grades in school.  The interesting thing about this friendship is that we have hardly spoken in the last 30 years, but we still send those Christmas Cards!  I know something about her life now thanks to Christmas letters, and she knows something about mine. Her name is Sue Avery Ryan.  She was my "grade school" friend.  We spent hours and I mean HOURS playing together.  Her mom kind of "adopted" me because my mom worked and I was left in the care of my brother.  And let's just say that he didn't do a very good job of looking out for me.  I loved being at Sue's house.  She lived just kitty-corner from us about 3 houses away.  She was the oldest of her family and I remember when her brother Billy was born.  Mrs. Avery let me feed Billy his morning bottle while I was waiting for the bus at their house.  Her sister Cathy was just 2 years younger than Sue and I, but I don't really remember being with her very much.  She had a brother Jimmy that was 4 years younger than her.  Billy was born when we were about 8 or so and then when we were in our early teens, her sister Anne was born.  I loved NOT being the youngest!  I loved playing school and having all those little kids to boss around.  Another really wonderful thing was that Sue had cousins that lived close by.  And those cousins would come for visits.  I loved that they included me - even when the cousins were visiting.  Sue and I played dolls most of the time.  We would set up very elaborate "orphanages" with all of our dolls.  We made up wonderful stories about each doll.  I sure wish we had taken the time to write down some of those tales.  It was very clear that both Sue and I were readers because we were always making up these stories.  I remember when Sue's mom came home from a shopping trip with a brand new doll for Sue.  It was a Barbie Doll!  Yep, it was 1961 and she had one of those very first Barbies.  It wasn't so long after that when I actually got a Barbie.  Mine has the short hair, not the pony tail.  And Gwen now has that Barbie doll, along with most of the baby dolls that Sue and I played with.  When I was in 5th grade I cried for days because Sue was moving away.  Actually, they only moved about 5 miles away, but to me, she was gone.  My mom made sure that I had plenty of sleep overs with Sue, but it just was not the same as being right across the street.  A couple of years later, we left Minnesota for Chicago, and Sue and I continued to write letters.  Again, not the same closeness.  She got married, I got married and we each had children.  Her two sons and one daughter are very close in age to Gwen and Doug.  In the later years I would talk with her on the phone when I visited my mom.  And a couple of times she came over to see me on one of our visits to Minnesota. The picture above is from one of those visits.  And then there are the Christmas Card letters and pictures. 

You know, I don't think Sue would really "get" how important her friendship was to me.  In so many ways, her family was sort of my "ideal" family.  The kids were all close in age.  The mom stayed home and didn't work.  The dad didn't travel all the time.  The mom and dad were NOT  grandparents.  Looking back, I can see how Jesus placed this friend and this family in my life, at exactly the correct moment.  I needed all of those things during a time when those things were NOT in my family.  And it was such a blessing to me.  My mom always said that she felt so much better knowing that Mrs. Avery was watching out for me.  My mom did not "chose" to work.  She HAD to work.  My father had some medical issues and surgeries and there were bills to pay.  I know that she did not want to go to work in 1960 and leave me alone.  It was just what she had to do.  I am so thankful for Sue and all those years of playing together.  Yep, grades school friends are important. 
I tried to find out if Sue has a facebook page, but couldn't locate her.  And I don't even have an email address for her.  Can you believe it?  We actually still just communicate by snail mail.  I think I will have to write her an actual letter to tell her about this post! 

Jesus, thank you for reminding me of all the people you have placed in my life.  Holy Spirit, remind us all to see the people around us with your eyes.  Thank you Jesus for showing me your provision for me, even when I didn't understand what I needed.  It is so wonderful that you know who we are and what we are going through, and then you provide exactly what we need.  Jesus, you are simply amazing.  Continue to speak to me in the days ahead about these special friends.  And Holy Spirit, will you also remind those reading this today, of all the ways that Jesus is providing for them.  Bless these special friends - especially Sue and her family.  Thanks Jesus!  Amen

My friend LeeAnn

Yesterday I said that I would be posting about some of my "life-long" friends.  All day today I have been thinking about WHY I made that statement and WHO I was supposed to be writing about.  I have decided to start this off with my very dear friend LeeAnn Bartholomay.  First of all, I almost didn't include her because the fact is, her life was NOT long - it ended in 2001.   LeeAnn and I met when Gwen was 18 months old and her son was 2.  She was an amazing nurse who had just gone back to work part time.  She was looking for a neighborhood babysitter for a couple of days a week from 2:30 till 6:00 when her husband got home from work.  I had already been sitting for a number of families in our subdivision, she heard about me and stopped by one day.  I invited her in for coffee and the rest is history.  We hit it off IMMEDIATELY!  She was so surprised that I could tell she was from "up north" (actually North Dakota - but there is not much difference between the "accent" of Minnesota and North Dakota!).  We had so much in common and just had wonderful conversation.  My babysitting job turned into a family friendship that continued for many, many years.  We were pregnant at the same time, MollyAnn was born in December and Doug was born in March.  Shortly after Doug was born, their family moved to Wheaton.  Needless to say, we stayed in touch.  One of our biggest traditions was a Christmas Day family dinner.  Neither of us had family in the area and we always had a birthday party for Jesus.  I have very vivid memories of one Mother's Day when Doug and MollyAnn were about 2 years old.  We were at our house for a "dinner" to be cooked by the husbands.  LeeAnn and I went for a walk.  The guys were supposed to be watching the kids.  All of sudden, about 3 blocks from our house, we see MollyAnn and Doug near the creek that runs through our subdivision.  We ran to grab them and took them home.  We found Ken and Don totally unaware of the fact that their two small children had wandered off!   In the later years we had many great gatherings at their Wheaton home, which had a huge backyard for the kids to play.  It was LeeAnn who first noticed that there was something "not right" with Doug when he was only a couple months old.  We were having an informal picnic and LeeAnn noticed that he seemed very feverish.  She was right.  Later that day, our hospital stays with Doug began.  I could always count on her to bring Doug a treat when we were in the local hospital.  She would often stop by before her shift began.  In so many ways, she was a constant friend and hand holder during those tough times.  When she was pregnant with her third child, she asked me what I thought about the difference between Baptism and Dedication for a baby.  I told her my perspective and she said, "I agree completely!  Will you and Ken please be this baby's Godparents?"   What a joy it was when Carl was born.  The picture above is from a mother-daughter lunch at her church.  Gwen and I were often included in these wonderful events. There were simply so many things, I can not mention them all.

But life got busy and we got busy and we saw each other less and less.  However, when we did get together for a breakfast or late evening coffee, it was as if no time had passed since our last conversation.  As our kids grew up, our problems got bigger.  One common experience that we had around 1988 was an awakening to Jesus and all that he wanted for us and our families. We shared so many joys and struggles.  She was a great friend.    I will never forget the day that LeeAnn just stopped by our house.  She never did that.  When I opened the door and saw her standing there, I knew that something was very wrong.  She told me that she had just been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.  I was speechless.  I really couldn't believe it!  She was the one who ate only homemade food.  She always had fruits and vegetables and was so careful of what her family ate.  And she was a nurse.  Yet, she had ignored the symptoms for a long time.  Till it was simply much to late.  Over the course of her illness, I saw her several times.  Her faith remained so strong and her assurance of Jesus was so apparent.  Doug and MollyAnn were graduating from High School and MollyAnn was heading off to college.  She so wanted to be able to experience everything with her daughter.  But, sadly, she died the week that MollyAnn started college.  One of my greatest regrets is that I did not know that she had died until 6 weeks after it happened.  I was not "in the loop" to be notified.  It was very sad for me to lose this "life-long" friend. 

I think about her so often.  I remember thinking how much she would have enjoyed Gwen's wedding.  And how fun it would have been to show off and share my grandchildren with her.  Because we still live in the same house, every day when I leave or come home, I go right by the house that was "their" house.  I always remember.  Yep, LeeAnn is a life-long friend for me.  And I will always cherish her memory.

Jesus, thank you again for providing exactly the right person at the right time.  Thank you so much for the joy that LeeAnn brought to my life and to our family.  Holy Spirit, would you reach out and touch Ben, Molly and Carl and remind them of their mother's great faith.  Thank you that I can trust them into your hands.  Jesus, remind those reading this to pay attention to those friends around them. Jesus, help me to remember and appreciate all those you have placed in my life, for this time.  Bless all of those precious woman to woman friendships that help us to become the people that you have destined us to be.  Thank you for your great love.   Amen

Life-long friends............

Sunday night I had a really neat conversation with an elderly lady (and yes, I mean elderly - like I'm guessing 80 or so).  She introduced herself, said she lives in LaGrange,  and then asked me where I was from.  When I said Warrenville, her eyes lit up and you could just see the excitement on her face.  She proceeded to tell me this story.  When she was a very young girl or 8 or 9 years old, her best friend moved out of the "city" (Chicago) to Warrenville.  She was allowed to travel to visit this friend, from Chicago out to Warrenville on the "train". (Sidebar-  I know that she was talking about the Electric Train that had a stop in Warrenville.  This train line has been gone for many, many years and what remains is a wonderful walking/jogging trail called the "Prairie Path".  This runs right through Warrenville).  She would take this long ride, of about 1.5 hours.  When she got to Warrenville, she would get off the train "downtown" (now this is a real stretch - there is no downtown in Warrenville.  At most there was a drugstore, a hardware store and not much else).  She knew that she had to walk by the "wonderful convent" for the nuns to get to her friends house.  She was amazed that I knew exactly what she was talking about.  Her friend lived about a mile down that road.  When I told her that was very near to my house, she was so excited.  Her eyes got sad, when she told me that her friend now lived very far away in Northern Wisconsin and they don't see each other often.

 I couldn't help but think of my mom and her special friend Edna.  They actually met each other at church in the early 1920's.  They were best friends and spent most Sunday's together.  Some of the most wonderful stories that my mom told were about her and Edna.  Edna's dad owned a truck - quite a big deal in the 1920's.  They would be able to ride in that truck out to Itasca Park and pick berries.  They roller skated, ice skated and played outside year around.  In northern Minnesota.  And they walked everywhere.  My mom could still name many of the kids in the picture above even when she was over 90 years old.  I remember very well, my mom's excitement when we moved to St. Paul when I was 6 years old, because Edna lived very close to us.  Of course we were busy and so was Edna but I do recall several visits to their house.  In the later years of my mom's life, Edna was a special friend and brought so much joy to her. One of my tasks during my visits to see my mom in the last 4 or 5 years, was to arrange a lunch visit with Edna.  It was such a pleasure to sit with them and listen to them reminisce about their shared past. I remember thinking that I was getting a glimpse of a side of my Mom that I really didn't know.  What a treasure that was.  As a matter of fact, Edna, age 96, was at my mom's memorial service.  What a wonderful tribute to my mom and their lasting friendship. 

Since I have been thinking about friendship, watch over the next few days, as I share about some of my "life-long" friends and the impact they have had on my life!

Jesus, thank you so much for relationships. Holy Spirit, you bring exactly the right people into our lives at the exact right time for us.  Your plans and purposes for our life include all of the people around us - our families - but also, our friends.  Jesus, bring revelation to me of the message you have for me today in friendship.  Holy Spirit, bless all those reading this blog, with relationships that bring them joy and fulfilment.  Jesus, bless my new friend!  Thank you so much Jesus, for these wonderful memories of my mom!  Amen