When you learn to live in true christian community with another,
parting is sorrowful.

My dear friend Dorothy and I have shared our lives together
in a way I cannot even begin to define. Homes, yards, kitchens,
possessions, grocery runs, prayer times, tear times,
neighborhood patrol times. We've done it all together,
every day, day after day.

But with today's news, our shared lives together are coming to a close.

And i am profoundly sad.

There is a countdown. And then there is the packing and
the good-bye, and our cups of morning coffee at the fence
will be over. Our calling and asking, "Is it a Phy Ed day?" because
the kids are so full of energy and we need a break from our studies will end.

So much that has defined our daily life, the weaving in and out of
phone calls and afternoon conversations in our kitchens, the sharing
of children's problems, and our remodeling frustrations and questions,
the lawn chairs in the alley while our children play, the holding of babies
and the changing of diapers, the prayers for needs and attitudes,
the adoptions and pregnancies, the ER runs together,
the 'joke of the day', the running out for coffee or bringing
back the McDonald's diet coke, the borrowing of whatever the
needed item of the day might be, the calling while on shopping
trips to see what the other might need... these things will no
longer be a part of our daily life.

I know that all too soon, long before I'm ready for it,
it will be done. And life as we have shared it will end.

The reality is that when you learn to share your day to day
moments in life with a true friend, the hard things, the happy
things, the daily things, the frustrating things, the baby things,
IT IS GOOD!

It is blessed of God.

It is a gift.

It is a privilege.

It is truly experiencing what God intends for us in Heaven
right here on earth. In our own back yard. Literally.

As time passes, we'll rally, and we'll be fine. We both know God directs
these deep and daily details in our lives. We've lived in that stated reality
since the day we met each other.

And we'll stay connected. We'll make it work.

The truth is that God is the giver of good gifts, and this is another,
though it comes cleverly disguised as a deep heartache.

And I AM grateful.
And profoundly sad.
Both.

just what EXACTLY is this saying?

 

He had been painting at a table for hours and was unhappy with the results.

He took a break, moved his painting things to the back room, and stopped

to have dinner.  When we walked into the back room again, here's

Elijah putting the finishing touches on his painting.  Guess he was a bit

tired of the whole thing.    (And we thought this was going to be the

EASY class!) 

Annie was waiting on the front porch for Sarah to come pick her up and I was deep cleaning the front entry. After being outside for quite a while, Anna opened the front door and said, "MOM!! You've GOT TO come out here and hear this!!"

I stepped outside and was surrounded by what i would describe as the most beautiful music i have heard in a l-o-n-g time!! I thought it was someone's car stereo turned WAY up. It wasn't. Two doors down from us, our african american neighbors were gathering and saying good-bye to their visiting family.

They were all out on the sidewalk, twenty or more of them with their arms around each other. EVERYONE was singing, even the children. If I were to classify the music, I would say it was an old negro spiritual. Two or three of them would sing the verses, then the entire group would join in singing in four (five? six?) part harmony. "The family that prays together, stays together" was the chorus, and they would repeat it four or five times after each verse. Even as i type it, I can hear them singing it in my mind. The harmonies were beautiful, just absolutely beautiful! And on our street, with the houses so close together, the music sounded like it was being sung in an acoustically perfect music hall.

Near the end of their song, one of the young men started singing his own words and the family would respond with the chorus. "On Friday!" "The family that prays together stays together!" "In the hard times" "The family that prays together stays together." "In our trials." "The family that prays together stays together." On and on they went, louder and louder. Finally they finished and they fell into lots of laughter and hugs.

I'm sure I looked like a fool, but I couldn't help myself. I ran over and barged right into the middle of their family farewell and told them how amazing that was and how I wished they would go on and on. They laughed and thanked me. I wanted to be adopted, right then, in that minute, into this family that loved and sang and hugged and laughed right out on the sidewalk in front of God and everybody!!

The music is still running through my head and making me smile. God could not have given me a greater gift!