Well, how about that last gloom and doom post, huh? Did you feel sorry for me? I apparently did.
Today was such a different day. I felt I had to write about it to balance out the depressing vibe I put out yesterday.
Since the first (and biggest) of our fundraising events is finally over, I decided to use some of my vacation days. I took off last Friday and Monday (today). Originally, my plan was to hole up in my study and work on Sky Seven, now that I’m finally getting a good story arc going.
Ah, but, then I also had to drop off some Mary Kay to a client, and some jewelry from my lia sophia party to someone else. The jewelry belongs to a friend of my mom’s – Jackie.
When I called Jackie to see when and where was a convenient time for me to drop off the jewelry, she suggested we have lunch. I was kind of surprised, since she’s mom’s friend, but I’ve always liked her, so I said “sure.”
So, we had lunch today in the cafeteria of the hospital where she works. Now, when she first said “cafeteria,” I imagined some sad buffet line with limp lettuce and lukewarm soup. I was never so happy to be wrong! This cafeteria was more like a five star restaurant with many, many choices! We both decided on awesome, cheesy, pepperoni, Chicago-style pizza. One slice was big enough to be a meal! And oh, woman was it good!
We sat down to eat and talk, and I found myself having a really, really good time! She’s a very funny lady with a very similar background to mine. She was raised ultra conservative (she doesn’t like to use the word “legalistic”) in a Christian home but didn’t really become a believer until she was older.
She has two kids who are older than me - but not that much. I attended high school with her daughter (well, I was in seventh grade when her daughter was a senior). Perhaps what really connects us is that her husband died when her daughter was only 17.
Her daughter and husband were involved in a traffic accident. Her daughter walked away without a scratch, but her husband died in her daughter’s lap. It was a very sad story. When Dad died, Mom called Jackie up to ask for coping advice. Ever since then, Mom and Jackie have become very close.
After my dad died, Jackie’s daughter wrote me one of the sweetest letters I’ve ever received. She gave me a preview of what my mom was experiencing and gave me great first-hand advice on how to be a good daughter though the grieving process. I’m deeply indebted to her for that.
So, anyway, Jackie and I had a great time! We talked about Christian schools, colleges, our jobs, and the different churches we attended. As we sat there, wolfing down our pizzas, I thought about how much I’d like to see her again. I can imagine us having dinner together or something fun like that.
It’s amazing how the age gap just seems to evaporate the older I get. How it’s easier for me to befriend someone older or younger. Growing up, four of five years seem like a huge age span, but the older I get, twenty and thirty years doesn’t seem like that big of deal in the whole extent of friendship.
So, since I was so gripey and ungrateful yesterday, I figured I better take note of how God really blessed me today. He showed me, yet again, how He gives friends in His due time, not necessarily mine.
1 comment:
Perhaps here's a suggestion to solve your friendship problem. Is there any women your mother's age in the church? I find myself drawn soooo much to them. They really can be such fun. We have a couple that goes to Florida every Oct. (can't imagine why! The snow is already flying here in NH)!! Rodney and the man joke like there is no tomorrow, and his wife and I really enjoy talking. When they said fare-well for the winter last week, we told them "who will we talk to?" Maybe your church is full of stuffy old people, but maybe your friend is just in a different generation.
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