Wait! That's Part of My Heart You're Takin' to Texas!

Almost 15 years ago we moved to this desert land. That was the last time I had to leave a bosom friend behind. You know. The kind of friend with whom you don't need words, with whom you feel completely safe.

My dear friend gave me a Mary Englebreit mug when we parted. It shows one girl pulling the pigtails of another and says, "Pals." I still drink from that cup, and I never fail to think of my friend. Even now when we see each other, perhaps once every several years, it's as though we've never been apart.

Not even two years ago, God graciously gave me another friend like this. Our hearts were connected through our blogs way before she stood at my front door, before we sat on my couch together and cried over God's providence in moving her from Texas to NM. From the start, she blessed me in word and deed. I found I could trust her, and after having dealt with the very painful ending of some friendships, her kindness and steadfastness ministered so sweetly to my heart.

When I returned home from my Dad's funeral in Virginia, I was greeted by flowers from my sweet Tami. She even brought groceries over. Yes. She's THAT kind of friend. She's seen me through my Dad's death, my cousin's death, a miscarriage, church challenges, and a pregnancy and birth.

She's walked on my dirty carpet and sat on my worn couch. She's feasted in my cramped dining room and has seen my bedroom, with its piles of books and stacks of stuff.

She knows my fears. My hopes. My struggles. My longings.

She's loved on my children and laughed with them. She even LIKES them. And I know if something happened to me and my Mountain Man, she'd care for our children and love them like her own. (After the initial panic of such an increase in family size, of course.)

And her family? How much do we love them? Well, we'd vacation with them in the same house in a heartbeat. You know that's love. Her children warm my heart and her husband and Mountain Man get along together so well. Yes, my Mountain Man and our children will feel the emptiness, too.

Tami and I are classic opposites. She's a dark-eyed and dark-haired beauty, and I'm not. She was born organized, and I fight to be so to this very day. She'll eat anything except fish, and I'll eat fish and very few other things.

She's the kind of gal whose home is always spotless. Mine? Well, not so much. She's a pro at technology, having her lists on an iPad or phone, while I prefer good 'ol pad and paper. She's an extrovert with lots of friends. I'm an introvert who cautiously guards the entrance to my heart.

She balances me out, tells me like it is, points me to Jesus, over and over. And she says I do the same for her. This is the bond that hold us together, our love for Jesus, our being His hands and feet to each other and cheering each other on and picking each other up.

She's seen me at my worst and loves me anyway. She feasts daily on God's grace, so that grace spills over to me. Perhaps one of the biggest ways she's poured out this grace on me is enduring my limited availability.

Friendship with a mom of many is often different. I lost a friend once because she couldn't understand my delay in responding to an e-mail. This Mama of 9 just isn't  as available for girlfriend get-togethers. I'm not as apt to talk on the phone for extended periods of time. I'm not always able to be there when needed. In fact I know I let Tami down as she spent her first months here trying to adjust. But she continued to love me faithfully anyway.

Tonight we'll break bread together for the last time for some time. I'm piling on the waterproof mascara and will try my best not to embarrass anyone. But, my heart is stuck on my sleeve, and when Tami walks out the door tonight, a piece of my heart will go with her.

Yes, tomorrow, part of my heart will be in Texas. Not because I know and love that state, but rather because the friend who knows me, and yet, still loves me so steadfastly (which is so amazing to me!), who shines so brightly with the love of Jesus, will be there.

Of course my advice to you if you have a friend like this is to hug her real tight the next time you see her, let her know what a blessing she is, and make time to have that lunch date...real soon.

With love,
Trisha