I have a great story to tell today. I have a great story to tell about a great woman. I have a great story to tell about a great woman who was just a girl when I met her.
I was just a girl too. It was the beginning of the school year, 1994. I was finally a freshman!! I was nervous and excited at the same time. I felt fairly ridiculous in my plaid skirt and shirt embroidered with my school's name on the front. I had not been in a school building since the 3rd grade. So going to school was a big deal for me. Never mind that I was beginning my journey at a Catholic school, in a plaid wool skirt at the end of August. Also, I was not Catholic. I was raised as a combination of Evangelical, Assembly's of God, and Non-denominational Christian. (And no, I wasn't truant for 5 years, I was homeschooled in the late '80's and early 90's.)
Freshman at our school had half-lockers. Mine was on the bottom. They were bright yellow, and in the basement of our school. As if freshman don't stand out enough, our lockers were simply sore thumbs that drove that point home. They were the color of big bird and stacked one on top of the other like the building blocks we played with in pre-school. To just add fuel to the newbie-fire, the rest of the school had green full-sized lockers. Seriously - with the wool uniform skirts, the mini-big-bird-lockers, the theology classes, the weekly mandatory mass, and the hallway that always smelled like marijuana - it's really incredible any of us ever made any friends. What's more amazing to me is that one of the friends I made during my time in the above mentioned chaos disguised as education has become such an amazing and irreplaceable gift to my soul.
The first time I saw her was at our lockers the first morning of high school. She had the yellow half locker next to mine. One of the first things I noticed about her was her equally sweet and shy smile. I don't think we said much, if anything to each other that first time we saw each other. We were both too nervous at that first encounter. Our newbie minds were overwhelmed with remembering the combination to our locks, and having to carry the right books to classrooms we had no idea how to navigate our way toward. (We weren't allowed to carry backpacks through the halls. And yes, freshman do gets books knocked out of their hands for just for kicks.)
We ended up walking to our first class pretty much together in a silent understanding of figuring it out one step at a time. By 2nd period, the sweet smiling girl had a name. Buy 4th period we'd been in every class together and we'd chosen seats near one another in every subsequent class in solidarity, if nothing else. When we were exchanging info on the rest of our first day's schedule we learned we had band together. That naturally lead to the question "what do you play?" We both played flute. That was the connection we needed then. The flute remains a big part of our story even though both of us have long since neglected the instruments which were our instant forever connection.
We had no idea that first day that our friendship would be the forever kind. But we both now we realize we know the One who did.
That first day we had no idea that we'd eventually be college roommates for a year. We had no idea that it would be through our friendship that her younger sister would become aquatinted with her now husband. We had no idea that I would attend her wedding months after her older sister was diagnosed with stage 4 bile-duct/liver cancer. We had no idea that she'd meet her husband and I'd meet my helpmate. We dreamed and thought of so many things together -some of which have become reality and so of which were just dreams that fizzled out for whatever reason. One time, we talked about starting a business together, but it wasn't the right time - perhaps we will pick that dream up again someday.
I cried that day she brought me to her first owned home and on the tour announced "This will be the nursery, we're pregnant!!" I had no idea the closeness I'd develop to her children who now call me Auntie Katy. We had no idea that in October of 2013, after learning the devastating news that I couldn't/shouldn't carry a pregnancy, that she would sit on the couch in my living room and genuinely offer to carry a baby for us.
As high school freshmen, we couldn't have imagined the amazing joys and horrible sorrows that life would throw our direction. For so many, many of our journeys through this life, doing it with the other would have been impossible. I am blessed beyond measure by this wonderful friend God designed for me. I could try to explain how much so, but fear my mere words would fail the task. I'm forever thankful for a faithful God who knew we'd need each other in this life. Who knew just how to knit together the ties of our lives "for such a time as this" - over and over and over again through our 20 years of friendship. (Yes we really are that old now..ugh.)
We don't know what is in store for the next part of our story. For this phase of our friendship. But we know the One who does. And we're all trusting that He knows and has all of us and the future of our new adventures together secured in His strong and mighty hands. The one thing I am sure of is that she and I will remain forever friends.
So here's to you, sweet friend. Happy Birthday!! Thank you for allowing God to develop you into who you are. You amaze me. I love you. Forever!
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