35 Years????

Yep -- once again we awoke to a winter wonderland! Everything covered in pure white! And of course our pileated woodpeckers very thankful for the suet feeder on our tree! Good thing I made some fresh just the other day and good thing I got more shortening from my Mom to keep making more! Thanks to my Mom and my brother, Mark!

Yesterday was quite the day for me! Memories! Big time!

I attended a Lutheran elementary school from grade 1 through confirmation in at the end of grade 8. All through those years, through middle schools 9th grade and through graduation from high school there was a group of us girls who were always friends and practically lived at one anothers homes. Yesterday one of those girls buried her mother and I was blessed to be able to go to the funeral home and see her. It had been nearly 35 years since we had seen each other --- WAY too long! She has lived in Tennessee for years and we all know how time and distance and life in general takes us all our separate ways. Quite sad, actually.

I wasn't sure if we would even recognize each other and I was right. We both did double takes and then weren't sure until we saw each other smile and heard the voice. Even though the years have taken their toll on all of us -- that didn't matter! I think it will be that way in heaven, for sure.

She had 2 cousins that were also our same age and ran in our same crowd. I had seen one of them a couple of times over the past 5 years so he and I recognized each other. But the other one -- it had been over 35 years and we both had to hear the voice and see the smile to know for sure. It was amazing!

God revealed some things to me in that short hour. One -- heaven is going to be a great place because He promises we will "know our own" and I believe that to be family and friends. Oh how I look forward to that! A reunion like no other!

Two -- God tells us life is all about relationships (with Him and with others) and I have missed alot of past relationships. Yes, we all have some we would like to forget -- but those don't matter. It's those ones that bring back such smiles that some would think us "not proper" in a funeral home setting! There was no way we could catch up, no way to even try. A few quick questions amid trying to visit with everyone at once -- impossible. Third -- we need to do whatever it takes to try and maintain as many friendships as possible. Not one of us has too many friends! No matter how many, not enough!

So . . . I decided to expand my horizons on this computer thing even more. I finally went on Classmates.com and entered my information. Maybe there are others out there that I can reconnect with, others who have memories that will bring smiles to my face and joy to my heart. Goodness knows we all need to smile more and have more joy inside our hearts! So let's see what happens!

And so it was a great day, a day that centered around a room in a funeral home. Not where you would expect but yet where God planned it. And I also know that her mother, even though laying so still in her casket, knew we were all there, knew we got a chance to reconnect (even if for a very short time) and knew she was the one who brought us all together.

Thank you Ms Elsie -- thank you! And may you be reunited with all your family and friends in heaven and may God throw you an awesome party of celebration!!!!

Until next time . . . let's all cherish our families and friends a bit more! Susan and Monty