The Lifetime Gift

Last week a childhood friend of mine called telling me that she was going to sell some of her Mom's dishes as her children had already taken what they wanted so she would sell the rest. As we talked about some of the Fiesta Ware plates that remained she suddenly hesitated as if a great idea had come to her, then asked with sincere interest and a lift in her voice, what colors I had in my kitchen/dining area? She then went on to ask me if I would want a couple of the green and yellow plates/cup she had left!

I was so touched that she had even considered such a thing and told her I would LOVE to have them! It wasn't their monetary value that interested me, it was the sentiment behind it that moved me to the very core.

Lynn's Mom grew up next door to my mom in a very Bohemian farm community. She was a very sweet, kind and happy woman and I have wonderful memories of her, most of them revolving around being in the kitchen:)

Lynn was a year older than I, and even though we knew each other in grade school, it wasn't until high school when we were in choir singing in ensembles together that we got to know one another better and realized the connection of our moms.

Years later when Gary and I had our first son, his best friend and our best man at our wedding, called to say he was coming to see us and was bringing Lynn. It was then that we learned they were dating and from that point on we easily became immediate friends.

I believe God brings people into our lives for a reason--Lynn brings to me a friendship that is comfortable, familiar, fun and safe. We don't have to talk everyday or even once a month, but when we do, it is like talking to my sister. I think it is because there is something about a shared background and upbringing that makes our friendship special. We share a history that I think comes from our mothers being neighbors, the two of us going to school together and consequently marrying our hometown boyfriends!

I am humbled and touched when I look at these dishes as they remind me of where Lynn and I come from; people whose parents came to the states from Bohemia and worked hard at being an example of love, hard work, and the meaning of family.

A long time ago God brought together two little girls who lived down the road from each others farms; they went on to raise two little girls with the same type of upbringing that they had, and they are now lifetime friends. I don't need a reminder of the specialness of that, but seeing those dishes does stir up an emotion reminding me of how our friendship came to be.

What better gift is there than that?