friendships far away

I've been reminded twice in the past 4 days of the value of certain relationships. I get so caught up in my "here and now" that I tend to drop the ball with those I love who live far away.

Over the weekend, while Andy was off with his brother and other manly men, I spent the day with my mother-in-law. We don't see them a whole lot, so I was looking forward to having a whole day with her, almost to myself. (Dad was there, too, but busy with his own stuff) Now, Mom is not one to sit all day and not work at something, but on this day, she gave it up for me. I met up with her at the table about 8:30am, and except for about 30 minutes, we talked all day. It was wonderful. She's had a most interesting life, and even after 30+ years, I learned things I'd never known before. After my dear Mamaw, she is probably the woman I respect most on this earth. That evening, we drove over to her daughter's home for dinner, where I was once again reminded that, even though you don't see someone all the time, you can take up like nothing ever left off. She is gracious and fun, a good cook and dear sister-in-law.

This morning, as I was laying in bed, my phone rang, and it was my friend Dianne Connell. When all was said and done, we'd talked 10 minutes shy of 2 hours, like we saw each other everyday. We had babies together, and her husband is who brought Andy to the Lord all those years ago, so we have a deep history together. Her wisdom and clarity always bless me, and I hope she gets just a bit of goodness from my end. I do miss her....

This surgery has shown me so many ways in which I've been blessed - I hope I never forget!!