John 15:13 Greater love have no man than this that he lay
down his life for his friends.
In
my life I have had fantastic friends. God has graced me with friends perfect
for every season of my life. I have
only had one, walk in to my life and change me forever. My beloved friend Tracy, needs no
introduction, everyone knows her name. She
treats everyone with respect and love.
When you talk to her she has a way of making you feel like you are the
most important person in the world and worthy of her time and prayers. I have had moments of self-doubt, anxiety or
struggle and she magically appears with my favorite sonic drink and a
treat. She can make me laugh when smiling feels impossible. Her patience is immeasurable. I have watched
her chase her dog in the rain and mud and never break a sweat or raise her
voice. My children eat her food,
destroy her house, and use magic marker on her brand new walls and she loves
them as her own anyway. She is
unselfish to a fault and puts herself last in everything that she does. Last Spring, when I was coaching softball and
my husband was working on his business she volunteered to take my kids at every
turn and wouldn’t take no for an answer. For five lengthy months she had 5
children to care for after school instead of 3 and never knew that, that act of
kindness meant more to me than she will ever know. She is reliable. Last year, I was struggling
to get Hudson’s birthday party together, she arrived like the cavalry, baby on
hip, to help in any way that she could. She missed her son’s own baseball game
to help me because she knew without her I might crumble. Aside from being a fantastically selfless
friend, she is the mom I aspire to be. I watch her in hopes of her patience and
strength rubbing off on me. We fill our
summers with adventure and memories that will last a lifetime. I can’t imagine
it any other way. I am grateful and
consider myself blessed to have her in my life, for every birthday, every
struggle, every birth and every passing.
I am grateful you were born, and I
am blessed to call you friend.
