Old Friendships and Blessings

The day started with much anticipation. I knew there was no work for Mark. I knew school had to be done. I knew that even though Mark had taken and passed a plumbing test for his license, it was the wrong test. We were not sure what to do about it, or what we should do next. We were not even sure if he could use the harder test he passed, to get the lesser license. But, the thing that weighed on me the most was that: I knew an old friend was coming by today and I was nerves. This friend and I use to have the greatest of friendships. We could discuss anything. We would share stories, hold each others children, and cry on each others shoulders. We shared birthdays, and always shared the Christmas season. We use to……………. Then something happened........... The friendship ended as quickly as it had began. A year went by and we talked very little. She prayed for my father and for Joe. I prayed for her, her sister, her mother, and other family members as each one of them went through some trial of life that I knew about. Even though we are neighbors, we really did not speak, wave, or see each other. I did not call it a friendship. I didn’t call it anything…….. I missed what was....... As another year went by, and life moved on. We both became pregnant again at the same time. This time it was me that miscarried and she had the beautiful baby. This time I understood her pain of losing a child better then I wanted too. The loneliness of the miscarriage was strong for me. During her pregnancy, for some reason, this old friend would send me ultra sound pictures of the child she was carrying. I would look at them, and as I did it was all very healing for me. As I looked at the pictures I prayed for the beautiful child.……I prayed for the health of the baby and I prayed for the health of this old friend. The baby arrived and as far as I knew everyone was healthy. Then Christmas came and I recieved a picture card, and a seasonal Christmas letter. I thought it was all a mistake, but read it anyway. It was nice to see the kids and know that everything seemed to be okay. Then, invitations to a blog came, agian I thought maybe it was still a mistake but then maybe it wasn't. Maybe, I should just take a look and say hello………….. I’m so glad I did. As I end my day today, I can go to bed with a smile on my face and a little more at peace……Even though the phone did not ring and there are no jobs for tomorrow. Today I know, Mark is a great test taker and taking the wrong test has turned out to be a good thing for us. ………….The old friend came and brought new friends................... Our two year old daughters played together for the first time. Her little boy played again with my very big boys. And, I enjoyed it all very much. Best of all......... I got to hold Leah……………and the old friend felt like she never left.