"there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" Proverbs 18:24
True friends include some you haven't spoken to in years. When you speak with them you pick up right up where you left off, and it's as if you never skipped a beat (as if there was no lull in communication).
So it is with my lifelong friend, Steve, his wife Jill and their children.
Steve and I were best friends in 1st through 3rd grade back in the 70's. We caught back up again at the beginning of college, then at the end of college for a few years (including the time he met, courted and married Jill and through their first two children).
Just finished spending a weekend with them and their now five children. Steve and I have been emailing for six months or so, but aside from Christmas postcards this was my first time to see them in years.
The only thing I could think to title this blog is what this weekend was to me: salve for the wounds. Without going into grand detail, life has been largely a valley for over a year, and getting to spend time with Steve, Jill and the kids was like sitting by a mountain lake still as glass and smelling pure, clean mountain air for a couple of days. It truly refreshed my spirit.
Steve is not only a lifelong friend, but a brother in Jesus who has been gifted with the Lord's wisdom. There are a lot of rough edges when I blog my thoughts/ponderings in the Lord. If Steve were to have the same thought I might have, Steve says it better and in a way that is much easier to digest.
Jill is the sister I never had. Not in the sense of a sister you scuffle with and both get called down by your parents, rather in the sense of a compassion and love for each others like close siblings share. I'd throw myself in front of a truck for her without thinking about it and smile while doing so. She is that awesome, and I know God sees us as siblings.
I have so many great memories of Steve and Jill from our 4-5 years of friendship in the early to mid 90's. The one that sticks out the most. One time we were at a 24-hour fast food hamburger place, late on a Saturday night, about to get a bite.
Of course, yes, that time of night on the weekend when...these three big, rough guys come in and stand behind us as we're about to place our order.
The guys behind us are loud and talking, smell of drink, and start dropping some f-, s- and other bombs. I'm sitting there thinking "yeah, it's that time of night on the weekend. Oh well, what do you expect late on Saturday night." I didn't think much of it.
Steve, however, turns around and firmly says "Would you not talk like that with a lady present?" Even on this first request his tone was "I'm telling you, not asking you". There were no qualms in how he addressed these guys.
Steve had all kinds of letters in high school sports, was an Eagle Scout, etc, yet his neck was not as big around as the smallest of these three guys' biceps.
It got stone quiet for about five seconds. Then...the guys started talking among themselves, in a lower tone and...without cussing.
That's my buddy, Steve. Stands up regardless of the circumstances or odds, stands up for his woman, and Jill worth every ounce in pure gold to stand for. To me this memory epitomizes them, who they are, and why I have always loved them as a brother and sister who stick closer than a friend, just like Proverbs says.
More on their kids in a separate blog.
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2 comments:
We were blessed by our weekend reunion as well. God's timing is so perfect. We needed your visit as much as you did. My mind floods with memories from our times together. We packed a lot of memories into a short time. A memory that sticks out to me as strong as any of them was the first night I met you. Steve and I met up with you at the Aggie bonfire site. You asked me LOTS of questions. I felt like I was meeting the parents or something. I was hopeful that I was meeting the criteria you had for your best buddy's girlfriend. I think I must have passed, because I felt very welcomed into the circle of relationships. I remember thinking that night that you really cared about Steve and wanted to check out who he was getting involved with. I loved the way I saw (and see) you love Steve. There are few things that endear me to someone as much as loving Steve and seeing his great worth. Thank you for loving our family. Thanks for giving me the "OK" 16 years ago. I hope you still do.
Jill, you not only met the criteria but blew them so far out of the water that I was totally stunned--because I have insurmountably lofty criteria!
In that period that we acquainted I knew Steve had found what very few men ever find. Your true colors then, since and now continue to outshine the masses. It is a special honor to be your brother.
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