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
Love is a tired word. Nowadays it’s used to describe a positive emotion towards anything. For example, “I love pizza,” or “I love these new shoes.” But the confusing thing is that people also say, “I love my little brother,” or “I love my Grandma.” So does that mean they feel the same way about pizza as they do their Grandma? (Just asking…) It makes me feel like we should rate love on a scale of 1-10. If we love popcorn at the movies, we’ll give it a 3; a great day spent with friends we’ll give a 7; and the love we have for our family-a solid 10. At least if we put the word ‘love’ on a scale of 1-10, it wouldn’t seem like we love our children as much as we love a good hamburger. (Just saying...)
I’m thankful for family. I’m thankful for the sense of belonging, for the closeness, and for the coming together in tough times. My family lost someone we love this week: a loving husband, a great father, and a fun filled grandpa. It’s not easy to say goodbye. It helps to remember the times we spent together and the many ways he made life enjoyable. My dad was always teasing us, playing little jokes, saying outrageous things to get a reaction. He had a great sense of humor and was able to laugh at almost anything. We loved him for that. Mere words could never capture the essence of my dad, but he was someone I admired, someone I loved, and is someone I will miss dearly. I’m thankful for the time we had together.
It’s that time of year when many of us are thinking about going back to school. As a teacher, I think about the kids who will be entering my classroom; they’ll come in all shapes and sizes and with various abilities and personalities. This reflection reminds me of a new boy that entered my room one year who had trouble with his speech and was challenged with making friends. We had an indoor recess one day and every child ran for their friends and began playing games. The new boy looked around at the gathered groups, saw no one gesturing to him, and quietly picked up the blocks and went to a corner to play alone. But then something beautiful happened. Zoe, a well-liked and friendly girl, left her group of laughing friends, crossed the room, and sat down by the new boy to play blocks with him the entire recess. Simply put, love is kind.
Let’s face it, we all make rash decisions at times. My most recent one was taking a 2, a 7, and an 11 year-old to the movies. It’s amazing the things you can accomplish while the previews are on: the 2 year-old and I did step aerobics (repeatedly), explored the lighting systems on the floor, marveled at the big screen, pondered the recliner seats, and greeted other movie-goers as they entered. My body became a human jungle gym during the movie as the 2 year-old sat, crawled, climbed, and lay across me. He wasn’t afraid to comment (loudly) on the antics on the screen, occasionally asking, “What’s so funny?” The highlight of the movie was when my nephew decided to take the lid off his cherry slushy and tip the cup upside down to see why it wasn’t coming out faster. Red slushy in my lap was…interesting. As we left the theater my other nephew said it looked like I’d wet my pants. At that exact moment I discovered the slushy also found its way inside all the compartments of my purse. So as I stop to reflect on our adventure, I realize there are a few lessons to be shared.