Old Friends

A few years ago our friends moved away.  They lived behind us, and, for me at least, their close proximity brought a certain level of comfort.  I miss them.  I drove by their old place a few weeks ago and noticed one red tulip growing in their front yard.  I thought I should take a picture of it and email it to them, because it looked so beautiful.  Our friends suffered a great loss recently, and they are often on my mind.  This tulip looked a little lonely, and yet it was beautiful, and I loved it.  A week passed and I still had not taken the picture.  Finally I noticed the tulip was ready to go the way-of-all-tulips and so I stopped at the side of the road to take this picture before the flower disappeared completely.  I still like the picture, even though it is not what I had seen at first. 

I have a young women who sometimes doesn't realize or understand her worth.  She doesn't get how she impacts the lives of others.  I tried to explain to her one day what I would feel like if she were gone.  She's left permanent impressions on my heart.  Our friends have been gone for years now, and yet I still drive by their home and remember Melanie working hard to plant shrubs and flowers in their front gardens.  I can still see Connor-Boy riding his bike on the sidewalk.  And sometimes, when we're in our back yard, I remember hearing their voices in theirs.  They are gone from our every day lives, but they have left traces of themselves.  I love how we do that for each other!  One of the greatest blessings in our lives has been that of great friends.