This is a blog for my best friend Meredith it’s her 21st birthday VERY soon. Mere and I have been friends since 4th grade? It’s been a long time. With a friendship so grounded you come to realize just what the other person needs to hear and what they don’t want to hear. We have attended the same church since before 4th grade, gone on mission trips together, Fallscreek which is a huge Christian camp, been a part of G.A.’S (girls in action) ha, we both sang in our youth group worship band back in the day, and we moved on to bigger things side by side. We both waited forever to get our drivers licenses. We watched each other graduate high school. We helped each other get over boys and family problems…when it comes down to it we were there. Always. We went to different schools. Mere was in Missouri and I in Tulsa but we bonded through that as well, made new friends but always kept each other in a special silly space. I’m telling you we have so many weird things that we do. Random road trips, UNsweet tea, mammy woolith, fried green tomatoes, easy woman, good music, and just generally having fun together, feeding off of each other in many ways.
We’ve grown up together. We are women now. Or woms as we say. Ha. We are moving forward in what God has for us and our friendship. I am thankful to have a friend who loves God. Who can help me live out the life for Him I feel I am called to. The last day I was home we went to get friend green tomatoes and we drove around and listened to artist vs. poet and sat in front of my house parked for a long time talking about the expectations we both had for this year. We hugged for a long time and both promised not to get engaged. Ha there was a weird dream involved with that one. Then we said see ya later. She handed me a locket with both of our pictures in it (haha) and then a letter she wrote:
Wifey <3
So I can’t believe this is happening! I’m so proud of you; you have no idea! I’m so excited that you have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity waiting around the corner…and I’m also really sad that you’re leaving L it’s a bittersweet feeling…and that was REALLY corny but that’s really how it feels. I’m not going to say goodbye to you because 1. I stink at those and 2. It’s not like we’re dying! Haha! This is just a chapter in our lives that we are going to experience apart…and even though it’s a pretty big chapter, we have a whole book of chapters that we’ve spent and will spend together!
It will be hard not to worry about home, but when you start to, do me a favor and DON’T! Home will always be there, and it will always be yours, waiting for you with the same places and same people who love you. Home never changes, and it never forgets.
When things get tough, learn to lean on the friends you have there. Try not to tell yourself that only your mom or someone else back home will understand; trust the people you can physically touch, they’ll understand more than you could have ever guessed.
Yeah… I can’t think of anymore advice besides take lots of pics and don’t easy-woman anyone. Hah!
Well, I hope you like your locket! I think I will get another one and wear it too! Maybe sometimes we’ll have our hands on them at the same time. J
I love you mammy woolith! I will miss you terribly and await your return. Then we can take a “destination who-knows” road trip and tell each other about our adventures while drinking tea and listening to the best music alive. Ah! Can’t wait!!!
I love you!!!
-mer
So I went inside and sat on my big comfy bed and read this letter. Bawled a little and then had the realization of this love we have between us. It will always be there no matter how we grow and change. I will be there sis! I love you and I want to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You old wom! I want to encourage you to follow God closely with your whole heart. You are a beautiful, wonderful, spastic, encouraging, loving woman and I’m proud to call you my best friend. Here are a couple of verses for you:
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation-the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ- for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:9-11
So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better. Colossians 1:9-10
I wish I could share with you everything that I am learning but it’s hard to even process it all myself but there are a couple of the verse I’ve been dwelling on. I love you & I even hit a homerun….ha
-love
Poke
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR WEEZY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
