A Life Well Lived

 I honestly don't know how to express what I'm feeling.  Sadness. Heartbreak. Mourning. Joy.  Sounds like which one is not like the other doesn't it?  Maybe I can explain.  On Tuesday morning, D called.  Through his tears, I heard the words I had been dreading.  I heard him say that Keaton had been rushed to the ER and it was not good.  He was on his way to  the  hospital.  I just sat there...frozen.  I couldn't move.  All I could do was cry.   And pray.   I tried to get up to get in the shower but I couldn't.  How in the world did this happen?  How could the 18 year old son of our dear friends be just hanging on to this life? 

Two years ago this strong vibrant football player got the news.  He had cancer.  Brain cancer.  For the past two years I have watched his amazing parents do everything humanly possible to find treatment for this horrible disease that had invaded the body of their youngest son.  We followed their journey through countless doctors visits, tests, hospital stays, clinical trial opportunities, all the while, praying for a miracle.  We've sat in hospital and waiting rooms anxiously awaiting some good news.  I have watched two parents whose love for their child drove them to explore every possible medical avenue imaginable.  I also witnessed a family whose faith never wavered.

Our families have been friends for many years.  When the children were younger the dads decided they would take the boys on a ski trip.  This began a tradition of an annual Spring Break trip to snow covered mountains all over the nation.  They had some great times but most of all, they made some great memories.   Eventually, the boys got older and had other commitments that made it impossible to schedule a group trip.  But they had laid a foundation of friendship that would last through the years.  Keaton was usually the youngest one to go along on the trips.  But rest assured, that didn't stop him from doing anything the other boys did ... and more.  When Keaton was first diagnosed, his friends and family began a group called "Keaton's Warriors."  Keaton was a warrior, never complaining, always positive throughout his journey.  He was an inspiration.  His parents continue to be an inspiration. 

On Tuesday evening I found myself sitting in Keaton's hospital room with three dear friends.  Keaton's mom had asked us to stay with him so he wouldn't be alone until the funeral home staff arrived.  Yes, I sat there with the shell of Keaton's physical body.  The angels had already taken him to heaven.  I know this  because several of our church staff witnessed the angels lifting his arms as they ushered him into the gates of heaven.   They saw it.  And I believe it.  I have never in my life experienced anything like this before but for some reason God had placed me in this room.  And I am so thankful He did.   I cried and then I prayed.  I prayed for our friends who were experiencing immeasurable grief.  I prayed for comfort for the days ahead as they began this horrendous journey that no parent should ever have to go on.  And then my grief took a turn.  I looked at this young man and I thought, he is now seeing Jesus!   He is now in the presence of our Holy God.  I imagined Keaton running, fully healed now, straight into the arms of the God he loved so much.  My grief somehow turned to joy.  Joy that can only come from the hope that Jesus gives for eternal life.  Joy that comes from accepting Jesus as your Savior and then living a life that honors Him.  Keaton did just that.  As I walked out of that hospital room, I kissed that precious boy on the forehead with a peace in my soul that He was finally home.  This is not the end of Keaton's story.  As believers, death in this world is not the end of our story.  Our eternal life begins when we go through that veil from this earth into heaven; when Jesus welcomes us to our heavenly home.    Yes, our hearts are broken but we are not hopeless.  Jesus binds up the broken hearted and gives hope to the hopeless.  Praise Him! 

Keaton, we'll miss you buddy. And as my Daddy said to me right before the angels took him, "I'll see you on the other side."

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demon neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."    Romans 8:38-39

Who Says You Can't Go Home Again

Well, how was everyone's weekend?  To say that mine was fantastic would be a understatement.  I mean it was really that good.  Rarely does a weekend meet with so much perfection but this one just did.  If you remember, this is the weekend that D and I were going to Illinois to attend our dear friends son's wedding.  Just a little background. This couple was in our wedding ... 30 years ago.  They were our "go-to" couple when we were dating.  We loved hanging out with them.  They were already married and responsible homeowners so we found ourselves at their house almost every weekend.  We just love them so much.  Well, 30 years and 450 miles can change a friendship but honest to goodness, it hasn't.  As soon as we sat down with them this weekend, we felt like we had never left.  We got to visit with them at the wedding, went for a late dinner after and then sat with them at our home church this morning.  Now granted, a lot has changed in all these years but a lot has stayed the same.  These folks are just as solid as a rock and good as gold. 

Here is a photo from the wedding.  This is their oldest child between us.

Okay so if that wasn't the best thing ever, on top of that I sat at Panera for 2 1/2 hours talking and laughing with my best friend from high school Saturday morning.   Y'all seriously, what is better than having a history like that with someone and still loving them like crazy.  Why we didn't take a photo I'll never ever know but trust me when I say, we still look the same as we did in high school.  Yea, right.  If only. 

As we were driving up on Friday, we called another one of our long time couple friends just to let them know we were going to be in town.  They immediately said, "meet us for dinner!"  And we did.  Again, we didn't have enough sense to get a picture but it was just the best time of catching up! 

Mother went with us and believe it or not, she has a friend she has known since she was 5 who is still living (Mother says most her "people" have gone on to be with the Lord) and still living in Marion.  She called her and this friend came to the hotel; picked her up in her car (yep - still driving at 89) and they went "visiting" another one of their girlfriends.  Then Saturday night, a cousin of my daddy's came and took Mother to dinner.  When we got in at 10:30, I knocked on her door and they were still sitting up talking.  Mother was just crazy about all the fun she had.  We heard about it all the way home.  And that was worth the trip!

More Big News!!!

Wow!  This month has turned into a biggie let me tell you!  One of our weddings is featured on Style Me Pretty blog!!!  Check this out and please take time to read the words written from the heart of this precious bride.  This young woman is extra special to us as she and her family are long time family friends of ours.  Kayla and Emily have a childhood full of memories together.  To witness the love of her and her groom throughout the planning and wedding weekend was nothing short of breathtaking.  Her wedding reflected her personality perfectly.  We prayed and prayed for beautiful weather for this day and God was good to provide.  It was amazing.  I might have cried like a baby when I first caught sight of her in her wedding dress.  I've seen her grow and mature through the years into an amazing woman.  We were incredibly blessed to a part of this special time in the life of their family.

Oh my word ...

My Friends and My Father

A couple of weeks ago, after a large 1/2 sweet, 1/2 unsweet tea from one of my favorite hometown restaurants, I was somehow motivated to write a poem. Yes, I know, very strange. I'm still blaming it on the insomnia from my highly sugared (even at half) and highly-caffeinated drink of choice. But nonetheless, I was wide awake at 3:00 a.m. and had run out of things to do (cleaning the house was clearly out of the question) so I began to write. I actually love to write but I had written one poem oh, since I was in elementary school. That doesn't count when E and I used to write poems together for her schoolwork. She had a "Rhyming Dictionary." Isn't that cool? You looked up a word and then it gave you all of the words that rhymed with it. E still has it. It would have clearly come in handy at 3:00 that morning.

Anyway, I had a Bible study lesson coming up about friendships and honestly, there are few things I love more than my girlfriends. No, they can't replace your God, your husband, your children or your parents but doggone, they fill a huge hole in your heart for silly laughter, talk of clothes, makeup and jewelry (among lots of other things) and hearing your heart on a regular basis. And I happen to be blessed with some godly women who listen, pray for me and with me, give good counsel and care deeply about me. Oh, ladies I am so thankful for you.

Thus this poem was birthed out of all of the above. Now that I've built it up so much, you're sure to be disappointed. That's okay, it's really my own personal journey of friendship. One I'm so thankful to have taken.

My Friends and My Father

When I was little, I had one best friend.
I loved her dearly, she spent the night and we played til days end.

When I was a teenager, I had a few more.
But those years were rough and on many an occasion my heart tore.

In college, we all pledged and became sorority sisters.
But back then it seemed the only goal was becoming the Mrs. to all the Misters.

After that, I moved and only one friend had I.
But he was my best one, my husband, my guy.

However, I still felt very alone those first few years,
Many miles from my home, I so wanted a girlfriend, I said through my tears.

So from across the street she came, not knowing me at all.
She took a chance and said, "if you need me, give me a call."

Are you kidding?? I do need you, I thought.
But it will take time, she already has plenty of friends, but then my heart caught.

I can't do this without friends, . . . be married, raise children and such,
I will call her and we'll go to lunch.

That's been almost 25 years to the day.
And she's still one of my dearest friends and will always be, I pray.

My girlfriends, they cheer me up and hear me out.
They love me warts and all and never cause me doubt.

Through the years, God has blessed me with many precious women to love.
But without a doubt, my dearest friend is my Father Above.

He is closer than a sister, a husband or a child.
The ride with Him over the years has been nothing less than wild.

While I couldn't have traveled this journey without my friends,
I could never even started without My Savior and His love that transcends.

He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.
The One who died for me and you so with Him in eternity we can spend.

The Iron Roses

The Iron Roses – that’s the name we gave ourselves. We wanted Steel Magnolias but that was already taken. Iron Roses - strong, Southern women sharing the sweet fragrance of friendship. Friends for at least 25 years. Sharing all life has given us: laughter, tears, marriages, divorces, births, deaths, medical emergencies, cancer, graduations, weddings, showers, and most of all, love.
Does that seem possible in today’s culture? That the same women can be friends for that long and still actually enjoy one another’s company. That we see each other at least once a week and talk to each other on the phone or email just as often. That we would stomp on someone who would get in our way if the other needed our help. That we love each other’s husbands and children because they do. That we care about everything the other is experiencing – bad and good. That we overlook each other’s warts and choose to see the best of each other. That we know what we know and still love each other deeply. No, this is not a superficial friendship for this group. The roots go very deep. We know how rare it is and we don’t take the blessing of friendship lightly. We cherish this gift God has given us.
Tonight is our monthly meeting to celebrate one of the Rose’s birthdays. Cards and Secret Sister gifts will be exchanged, food will be consumed and laughter will be bountiful. We’ll notice who has a fabulous new haircut, who is wearing cute shoes or killer jewelry. We’ll also notice who looks stressed or down. We’ll ask about everyone’s families and children. We’ll want to know who is going to what sale and when we can get together to go see the new decorator show house. Things girlfriends do. There is nothing that can take the place of a girl’s girlfriends. Nothing.
Today I’m sending out much love and gratitude to this amazing group of women. You accepted and loved me from the moment we met. And I am so thankful you did. I love you all.