Friend Day

I have this neat friend who is just a good person to hang out with; whether it is for a long stretch of time or a quick stop at the local cafe, she is inspiring. I have already posted about the loss she has suffered in the (now) last 18 months, and I continue to be amazed at her strength. I do not know what I should other wise expect, but I think I can not truly imagine the pain, heartache, loss, anger, all the emotions we are capable of ... and to see her just walk in grace.

Speaking of grace, I had read a blog post the other week about extending grace towards others. Maybe not honking at a car that cut you off, or getting exasperated at the person putting their groceries on the conveyor belt every-so-slowly, or the waitress that forgets just about every part of your dinner without repeated reminders. You just never know what they are going through in their life. Because you would never have known it about my friend during her fight to keep her husband alive, the struggle that first month after his death, and the ongoing ups and downs of raising three beautiful girls to be strong, courageous little beings.

I remember thinking and praying when my friend was walking the end with her husband, that I just wanted the strange world to embrace her with so much grace and love. I prayed the store clerk would give her a quiet smile, that people would let her merge into traffic on her way home from the hospital, that her garbage man would just put the cans back the way he found them, rather than scattered about the sidewalk. Little things to make her path more smooth.

I am not perfect. I fall from providing grace to strangers too. I just like to remind myself of that honest feeling of hope that I just wish so much for all those in a little down turn in life to feel from others; strangers included.

Seeing my friend makes me happy. It reminds me of what is important. And I like this photo of hope that my husband took of her and her beauties last fall.