Faithful Friends

I've been blessed through the years with a multitude of friends. Some of those have been friends for many years, and some have been more recently added to my quiver of blessings. Some have been friends during times of grief; some during times of great happiness or success; and some have gone the distance through every event of my life.

For this post, I want to focus on one particular friend who is very special to me. Her name is Debbie, and we've know each other for almost 20 years. I met Debbie when we moved to Kansas City while attending a women's Bible study at the church I currently attend. We felt an instant kinship, since we are both Midwest transplants who are very much still Southern girls at heart. Our sons are the same age, so we also bonded on a "mom" level, too.

We've been through a lot together, Debbie and I, and as I sat next to her in church this morning, I realized how blessed I am to count her among my closet friends. She has a heart of gold and derives tremendous joy through giving to others. There are too many times when Debbie has selflessly given to me to even begin to list them all. One in particular, however, I will never forget. When I had to pack my mother's possessions after she passed, Debbie was the friend who met me at Mom's and helped me through that task. When I would get choked up, it was Debbie who would recall something humorous about Mom and make me smile. I will never forget that day, and I will never forget Debbie's selfless love as she helped me make it through.

So many times, we take our friends for granted, and we forget that they are truly gifts from God. So, thank you, Debbie, for all that you mean to me and the way you make me smile. And, thank you, God, for blessing me with one of the best friends a Southern gal could ever ask for!

The Best Medicine

Sometimes I wake myself up laughing from a dream I am having. Sometimes those dreams are, quite simply, hilarious. Recently, I had to leave work and come home because I was sick with a stomach bug that my daughter generously shared with me. Upon arriving home, I immediately took some medicine and went straight to bed. Accompanied by Julie and Peanut, the resident hounds of my house, I settled in for a deep and cozy "sick" sleep.

Several hours later, my daughter arrived home from work and came into my room to check on me. When she walked into my room, she could hear me laughing out loud. As I awakened to her asking, "Mom, what are you laughing about?" I realized that I was in the midst of a quite hysterical dream involving my son, Brad. Fighting to control my laughter, I managed to gasp out the answer to her question.

"I was dreaming," I said. "I was dreaming that Brad was dating an Oompa Loompa from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." And I then proceeded to guffaw in a most unstoppable manner. I promptly slipped back into the land of dreams and after only a few short minutes of sleep, woke myself up laughing once again at the sight of Brad and his Oompa Loompa date.

A dream such as this always causes me to wonder how and why my mind conjures up such images while I sleep. Brad has been dating a lovely young woman for over a year, and she in no way, shape, form or fashion resembles an Oompa Loompa. And I haven't watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in quite a long time. It sure makes me wonder if I should ever take that type of medication again! When I finally woke up and got out of bed, I felt miraculously better. No rolling stomach, no tiredness, no headache.

I've often heard it said that laughter is the best medicine, and in my case, I believe this to be true. In fact, perhaps my Oompa Loompa dream entered my sleeping mind for that very reason ... to make me feel better and to be medicine for my ailing body.

I'm glad that I serve a God who sees fit to bestow upon us humans the gifts of humor and laughter and fun. So, laugh it up, whether you're awake or asleep, and breathe a thank you to the God of the universe Who may just be laughing along with you!