You can’t replace a great friend. This is true of my friend Diane, who battled cancer for 3 and half years and recently lost the fight. Besides being such an amazing friend, she was also a loving wife, a proud mom to 3 boys, a caring teacher, motivating coach, and all-around special person. How can you replace the smiles, the laughter, the easy-going ways of someone so incredible? How do you replace the caring, the helpfulness, the vibrancy of such a person? The truth is, you can’t. But Diane holds a special place in my heart, right where all the beautiful memories are stored. “A friend loves at all times…” (Proverbs 17:17, NIV) And that, quite simply, is irreplaceable.
God is an amazing friend too. He truly and deeply loves us. “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” (Psalm 36:5, NIV) He is there when we need him. He stands by just waiting to help. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ” (Psalm 46:1, NIV) He wants us to be filled with joy. “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11, NIV) The Lord watches over and protects us. “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” (Psalm 91:4, NLT) God wants to hold a special place in our hearts. In that way, his love is eternal. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3, NIV) Having God as our friend, quite simply, is irreplaceable.
Things to do today:
Read a similar blog called ‘A Good Friend’ and listen to songs ‘Dancing with the Angels’ and ‘Go Rest High on that Mountain.’
In loving memory of my friend, Diane Majoy
While vacationing in Maui, I had the opportunity to see a lot of animals in their natural environment. Most of them swam underwater but occasionally rose to the surface only to dive below again. On a snorkeling tour, we saw around 20 spinner dolphins swimming right near the boat. There was even a baby who jumped playfully out of the water! From a distance we saw a humpback whale breaching. It was amazing! While snorkeling, a green sea turtle glided right near my elbow, then swam to the surface for a breath of air. Another day, my friends and I went out paddle boarding in the crystal clear waters of the Pacific. There we were shocked to see a hammer head shark swim about 10 feet below us. I am happy to say he DID NOT swim to the surface. Looking back at the dolphins, whales, and turtles, it wasn’t surprising to see them at the top of the water. We knew that even though they swam in the deep, they would eventually rise to the surface.
Burnt rolls, undercooked roast beef, and runny casserole. What do they have in common? They happened in my kitchen, when I was cooking. Although up for debate, my biggest blunder happened when I was a preteen. My family was going to be surprised with my chocolate chip cookies. I was pretty impressed with myself as I took the cookies out of the oven. Proudly I carried them into the living room to share with my brothers and they enthusiastically grabbed them. However, their groans, cries of distress, and strong words, (I am deliberately leaving those words out), caused me great confusion. Apparently, substituting salt for sugar in a recipe is a bad idea. Who would have thought a cup of salt could make such a fuss? I guess I should have been paying better attention to the details.
Some time ago I flew to Texas to support a family I loved during a heart-wrenching time of trial. Struggling in the last days of his life was a husband, a father, and a friend. His loved ones faced the crisis in different ways: flat-out denial, avoidance, or quiet acceptance with inner turmoil. I tried to balance my time meeting the needs of everyone involved, including my friend who was in his final days. It wasn’t easy, but the prayers of many friends kept me upright. Flying home after that experience, I was weary and exhausted. I told God I had nothing left to give, and I was ready for the peace and rest of Heaven. Immediately I looked out the window and filling the sky was a massive, gorgeous rainbow. Moved to tears, deep inside me I felt these words, “It’s not your time. You have so many promises in front of you.”
Making the world is harder than you think. My nephew Zach had to make ten different landforms for a Social Studies project. We worked together and used Play-Doh, paint, Elmer’s glue, toothpicks, and numerous other craft items. Making the mountains was fun, creating an island with a palm tree in the middle of the lake was neat, but shaping tiny cactus for the desert was rather tricky. Zach got to name each place and he chose a football theme. We had Running Back River, Quarterback Lake, and even Touchdown Island. Our miniature ‘snapshot’ of the world took a long time to put together, but we sure enjoyed creating it.