Friends are Forever

Friends are forever.

Sounds like such a simple phrase.

You look around, you choose a friend, you are friends forever. Right?

Well, not quite.

Friends forever means that there is a bond that will last into the eternities.

Do you have a friend like this?

I have been blessed in my life to be surrounded by friends.

Friends who have strengthened me, taught me, helped me, laughed with me and even cried with me.

They have enriched my life for the better.

Today is one of those dearest of friends' birthdays.

She was someone who came into my life when I didn't know a soul around me in a new school and in a new state.

I had moved to Anchorage, Alaska. It was 1984. The Summer Olympics were over, we had moved from Parker, Colorado waaaaaaaay North, and I was thrust into a new junior high with no sibling by my side.

I loved moving.

I know that may sound crazy to someone who doesn't like change, but I embrace it.

I love it!

I loved moving as a child.

My dad worked in the oil business and was great at it, so we got to move all over to start up new plants or help struggling ones.

Needless to say, here I was, 12 years old, new environment, no friends, and freezing!

And there she was...

My dear friend, Tami.

She was my instant friend. She smiled at me and introduced herself on Sunday, and we instantly became friends.

We attended the same junior high and had virtually the same schedule.

She was always there.

She would surprise me with my favorite candy on my "unbirthdays," which consisted of only yellow Starburst and pink Extra gum.

She was there when I cried at my locker after just watching the shuttle explode with the first ever civilian on board.

That was the year I started playing volleyball, discovered running, and rode the bus to and from school in complete darkness.

She was my light!

There was nothing I couldn't do with Tami cheering me on.

My fears of being in school alone disappeared, my awkwardness of being new was almost invisible, and my self-esteem grew.

It grew and grew and grew!

Not in a bad way, just in a "I can do anything" way, because I had this friend who just pointed out my strengths and ignored my weaknesses.

She empowered me in a way that I will never be able to repay her!

This past Saturday I was driving my now 12 year old daughter, to her first competitive volleyball tryouts and there on the radio I heard it.

Our song.

The song that I loved in high school and that Tami let me listen to over and over again.

Glory of love.

I was twelve, could only see PG movies, and Karate Kid II was the current hit! Bare with me!

As I teared up listening to that song, and recalling those amazing memories, I thanked my Heavenly Father for sending me Tami.

She will forever be bonded to me...eternally...for the gift she gave to me.

The gift of seeing how my Heavenly Father saw me through her eyes, through her encouragement, through her love.

May my daughters be as blessed as I was.

Happy Birthday Tami!

I will forever love you, my eternal friend.

BFF ~Laura