Friends, the REAL Kind

I was a little nervous, I admit, would she really answer? I promised though, that I would call, and I did. Whew, no answer. I left a message. Now it is on her shoulders, she has to dial my number. Yikes! She dialed it, I am in the middle of screaming kids, baths and I am still sweaty from the gym, the phone kept ringing.

Now, it is my turn to make the return call. I tried on Monday, two phones, no answer...God, is this really meant to be? I feel you telling me to go ahead, but seriously, every time I get up the guts, I get voicemail. I have not been on an emotional roller coaster like this in awhile, hmmmm, haven't missed it.

And so tonight, the phone rang, I had a mouth full of salad, I saw the caller ID and without hesitation said hello. I heard on the other end of the line the gentle, happy, familiar sound that I have missed so much! In an instant every worry, every nerve and every situation that has kept apart for the last few years just disappeared. I laughed and said, "Finally! We got each other, but we just sat down." "No problem, it is just good to hear your voice, I will be home all night, just call me back." "Ok, I will."
And....I did.

For 49min a 36sec I was taken back and I was starting to look forward. We didn't reminisce much, there is too much right now to relearn...our lives are so different then they were the last time we talked. But, we will get there. I can feel in my heart the laughter beginning to bubble, I have no doubt we have some crazy bones left in us, just leave us be anywhere, anytime and we will find trouble (the good kind). Right now we are learning what our days look like, what do we do for fun and how do our kids entertain us. Right now I want to see pictures of her house, her daughter, her vacations, her life. I want to be able to picture where she is when we are talking on the phone. When I get to that place where I know her TODAY, then we can get back to where it started and go forward and define our new friendship.

I don't know what the future looks like, but I know it includes her. I know it includes her laugh, her innocent smirk, her stories of crazy GIRLS (b/c she would rather hang with a pack of guys over a mom's club any day)....I know it won't be long (I hope) before she addresses me as Keri Sue, again. Keri is too formal for her...add the Sue and I know we are good again.

God, thank you for being you, for knowing what we need when we need it. Thank you for NOT explaining everything, there are some things we just don't need the answers too. This is one of them, I know. I don't know and I don't care what happened, except that it got us BACK here. Tonight I was on the phone with a dear friend of 16+years and to me it was just like she we were 15 or 19 or 22. All of the stages of our lives, all the moments we have shared. They are all still here, still ours. Thank you God for allowing us to find each other at this place. I look forward to how you will change, mold and protect our friendship. Please help me to be the kind of friend she needs and wants, help me to be respectful, honest, encouraging and faithful. Please help me to be a better communicator, help me to know what to say and how to say it so that she knows I am here, I am her friend, forever.

Thank you, Amen.