22 years and counting

I am not sure how you describe a friendship or a friend that you have known and loved for 22 years and counting.  Where do I begin except back when I was a kid in youth group and I met this other kid in youth group we were opposites but I guess it is true they do attract at least that has been true for Lisa and I.  We met and became friends and now 22 years later we still laugh, love, laugh, love, laugh, and love each other.  We have been out to breakfast so many times in our 22 years and I can't remember a time when we didn't laugh.  One breakfast just a few years ago we were laughing so hard the restaurant was staring and other people were laughing.  I still remember the story but can't explain except to say it had to do with her brother on a horse with a sword which made  no sense and was hysterical.

Lisa has been a constant in my life journey and I can't imagine the pictures of my life and my memories without her.  If you know her you know she is kind, determined, quiet, horrible with directions, an amazing woman, mother and wife, she is disciplined, she gets things done, she is honorable, faithful, and a prayer warrior (I know I have felt her prayers many times in life), she is an amazing photographer, she falls asleep fast and sleeps hard, she is fun and loves to laugh,  she loves coffee just with cream, blueberry pancakes no syrup, and dogs although she tolerates them are not her favorite,  she loves the smell of new babies, and her home is  a place you love to be because she has an open door policy all the time,  she is constant, consistent, and true to who God has created her to be and I am blessed a thousand times over to call her my friend.

On her short visit this past month I was reminded again how God brought this amazing woman into my life for a lifetime not a brief moment not for a short time but for the long haul of this life's journey.  When we became friends I knew it would be forever I knew I  had found a person who God had given me to share the highs and lows of life with and I am so blessed and honored to be on this journey with her.  In life we have so few people who last a lifetime with us besides our families but I know in my heart Lisa is a lifetimer for me and I never take for granted the blessing God has given me in our friendship.

Lisa I pray you know that my heart is always fuller after being with you.  God has given you so  many gifts and it is a true joy to watch you use them to make the world better and to make me better.  Your friendship has blessed me for 22 years and I look forward to at least 22 more years of knowing you and being known by you.  My prayer is that the God of mercy and love we both serve will continue to guide us both in life, in love, and in friendship may we always point one another back to the God who gave us one another.  I love you my dear friend thanks for the sleep over at my house and the past 22 years you are a blessings.