She Thanks Her Jesus for the Daisies and the Roses

Deciding to join Hannah’s blogging project was easy. Deciding where to begin—not so much. Very recently I’ve written posts about my mom and my brother and, with Father’s Day on the horizon, I’ll get to my dad this weekend. So where to begin?

Starting with the friend I’ve had the longest is not as cut-and-dry as one would expect. I am blessed that three of my best friends have been in my life since we were toddlers. I’ve spoken to each of them in the past couple days, but only one has recently had surgery, so she wins and gets to go first.


For her recent birthday, I wrote Judy a list of things I love about her—one for every year she’s been alive. There were items from every season of our friendship on the list. Some stories are family legend and neither of us remembering them happening, like the time we ate soap and then threw it up all over the dining room table at a Mother’s Day dinner. When we were in middle school, Judy would write me letters—like real letters with stamps—and when we were in high school we took water aerobics classes and lowered the average student age by about 40 years.

Our biggest adventure, by far, was moving to North Carolina in 2003. Deciding it was time for a change, Judy accompanied me and made the difficult process of adjusting to a new town much more bearable. It was wonderful for me to watch her find friendships and community here, all the while enjoying a roommate who was a great cook and who appreciated a tidy apartment as much as I did. It was heart-breaking for me when she moved back to Philadelphia, although knowing her family and how close they are, I understood. On the bright side, I can get Tastykakes pretty often and I always have a couch to sleep on when I return to the big city.

Judy and I have grown up together—literally and spiritually. After so many years, we have earned the right to speak unflinching truth to each other. Sometimes our struggles are really similar and we’re both flailing. Sometimes one of us is standing on the dock throwing the life preserver. It is a precious thing to have a friend who can enter my present circumstances, recall my history, and point me to the God we both know and serve.

About the photo: It was taken at the playground across the street from the house where I grew up. At the top of the slide is Judy's sister Heather (tune in tomorrow for her), Judy is in the middle and that's little ol' me at the bottom. Judy and I were probably 3 in this picture, Heather about 5.