A Friend Loves At All Times – (Proverbs 17:17 HCSB)
February 12, 2011
“A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.”
She is there, waiting in the wings for that, ‘just in case’ moment. She is only a phone call away. She shares your joy. She is offers spontaneous surprises. She provides wisdom. She has a great laugh. She enjoys life. She is there to offer assistance, with an open mind and giving heart. She is rare and loyal. She is a friend, through thick and thin. She is constant. It gives me great pleasure to recognize my friend. Every now and then, we get the opportunity to reflect and be thankful for our friends. I am certainly thankful for mine.
Let me tell you about my friend, Paula. Thirty years ago, Paula and I met. Actually, at the time, I don’t believe either one of us realized the significance it would bring to our lives. Paula is a rare treasure; the type that increase in value over time. As each year passes, the time spent together, moments shared and the bond we have developed has only improved. Over time, we have gained maturity and wisdom. We appreciate each other’s unique attributes. We believe that our journey as friends has been God directed and God led.
I consider Paula more than just my friend. She is my sister. We didn’t come from the same bloodlines and no common family background. We didn’t grow up together. In fact, we didn’t meet until we were in our late teens. Maybe that is what made our meeting so special. Neither one of us was expecting it, yet it came just at the right time
All those years ago when we first me, I needed a friend. I believe she needed one too. Maybe that is why we jelled right away. February 7 marks my younger sister’s birthday. It is a time of year, when I would reflect on Tina. Her life, the short time we got to be sisters. It also reminded me to celebrate her eternal LIFE in Heaven. Of course I missed her. I missed the moments we created and what it meant to have that one person on earth that had the same interests, the same sense of humor, the quiet tenderness only a sister could share. It wasn’t the same year of my sister’s death, that I met Paula. It was actually several years later, although, I’ve always found it astounding that God saw fit for us to meet in February. At a time when I would truly miss my own sister, God brought Paula into my life to become my sister.
Paula quickly stepped into that role to help create a new beginning, a new hope that I certainly needed. Paula wasn’t there to replace my sister or her memory. She added to it; the reassurance that I wouldn’t have to face the world alone. Paula became the one person that I learned to trust with my questions and uncertainties. She became that person that I began to entertain life with again. We did a lot of sister things. We giggled. We talked. We cried. We grew up together.
Paula became my confidant. At times, she has been my Christian mentor. She shared her endearing mother with me that carried a very strong FAITH. Being the young women we were, we often needed a Christian mother's influence. There were times when Paula became my rock, when I felt desperate or uncertain. She has remained steadfast, never faltering, always being a good friend.
Paula is the real deal. She is generous, loyal and trustworthy. She is funny, crafty and can be competitive. She is brilliant when it comes to her occupation as a Registered Nurse. It suits her very well. She is patient and compassionate. She is smart and very qualified. She is wise and at the same time, doesn’t second-guess the hard decisions.
Paula is my family. Not only has she become my sister, she is the Aunt to my two daughters. Shannon and Rachel identify no other family as they do their Aunt Paula. Even though, we live far apart, we seize every opportunity to insure our girls grow knowing each other as family. We often joke about how our children take after us. April, Paula’s daughter and I share similar qualities, as do Paula and Shannon, my oldest daughter. Shannon can be very much like Paula when it comes to having a die-hard shopper mentality. They are also equally crafty. When it comes to shopping, well for April and I, not so much. Rachel, my youngest daughter, has a special bond with her Aunt Paula. They connected very quickly in Rachel’s newborn life. When she was born three months pre mature, Paula was there, helping Rachel's fragile beginning strengthen.
There is no one else in this world that I can ever imagine being my best friend and sister. God certainly answered my prayer when He brought her into my life. We have been through many seasons together. Some joyous, some difficult, and yet thirty years feels we're just getting started. We have many more adventures ahead of us.
Paula, I adore you. I appreciate you with every ounce of my being. I thank you for sticking around and sharing this journey with me. Get your flip-flops ready because you and I have date, with a sandy beach, a cool breeze and many more memories to make.
Paula, you are my dearest friend. You are my sister. You’re my family. Here is to thirty years of great times, memorable times, and most defiantly cherished times. I am excited to see what the next thirty will bring. I hope you are too.
