Ashton... My little sister and one of the best friends I have ever had. I guess since she's almost 21 she's not a baby anymore.
Still, I could not believe my ears when she called to tell me that she's ENGAGED!!! I was not prepared for this to happen for another several years--after all, she and Trey have only been dating for six years now!
Ashton and Trey. I love these two kids and I'm sure they'll have a beautiful life together. I just hope we can still be best friends!
Mary Ann is one of the best friends I've ever had. We've known each other for five years, but I can't remember not having her beside me... she truly feels like a sister. She was there with me on my wedding day, nearly two years ago
...and today, I was able to do the same for her.
I was surprised at what an emotional day it was for me, to stand with her as she took her vows. I guess when you love someone so much, it's difficult to let them go--to look at someone else and say, You be her best friend now; sweep her away... because then things change. I move to a new city, she moves to a new city... and then every time we see each other we are "catching up." But you know, that's okay, because for some reason that is the way life is supposed to be. We can't live in college forever.
Look at these two. Mary Ann and Jacob are truly a match made by the Lord Himself, and I couldn't love them more.
Though it's hard to let you go,
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends.
Our good friend, Kevin, is gone. Not forever--thank goodness. For a year. In Mexico. Teaching English with the Marist Volunteers. He's a wholehearted Catholic. I think that's awesome.
Bob and I visited him on Friday night, the day before he flew out. Kevin is one of those rare friends with whom all the time you spend is quality; he never lets a moment filter through the sieve of idleness. That is perhaps one of the qualities I, and Bob, admire in him the most. That, and his tolerance and open-minded spirit towards new thoughts. I know with all my heart that he loves Jesus, but he is so unlike other conservative Christians that it is refreshing just to be around him. When we told him that we had gone vegan, I was at first taken aback that he didn't react with surprise. But then he commented later: "I just assumed you were vegan in the first place."
That night we watched with him Diarios de motocicleta, or The Motorcycle Diaries. What a good film. I knew nothing about Che Guevara before I watched it, but it made me really interested in him. Kevin, he has such a strong heart for Latin America--like Bob and I do for France. After the movie we took a long walk, and it was so fun to just hear him talk about the political situation in Cuba, as if he was an authority. I just drunk it all in. The night was warm and comfortable and dark, and it is always refreshing to share such times with friends. We got lost among the neighborhood streets, and followed our instincts eventually back to the right road home.
We stayed up talking so late. Bob had to leave early in the morning, but we ignored that fact as long as possible, just talking about all the world with our friend. He wants to start a commune in North Carolina, where his girlfriend has several acres of good fertile land. How much would Bob and I love that kind of life! We said we would join them, if they ever were able to get it in motion. As it is, I am stuck in a stuffy city with no room for a garden. Making my life and raising my kids in a rural place with good earth and friends would be an utopia for me... But Kevin is idealistic. Perhaps the commune will pan out one day.
Once we got back to his basement we talked about God and Cuba and mangos and everything in between. Finally it got really late, and I said we should probably go. I looked up at Kevin, who was sitting across the room, and said "We're going to miss you, Kevin." My voice broke. Then an amazing thing happened: Kevin came over to the couch where Bob and I were sitting, and the three of us just prayed and sat in silence and hugged and cried (well, maybe the crying was mostly me) and shared our hearts for several long, peaceful moments. We prayed blessings over one another. Praise God for friends like that.
Our hearts were so full when we left Kevin's house that night. It's so hard to say goodbye to someone with whom you have shared so many special times in your life. As we drove home, I thanked God that wherever Bob and I go in our lives, we will go side by side.
