I have the luxury, at least for the time being, of sitting down with my coffee every morning and reading your responses to my posts. There have become a number of familiar names who respond regularly. I haven’t met the vast majority of you. I don’t know all of your stories though I am honored when you share your hearts with me, as I share mine with you.

I feel a sort of kinship to you, although my crotchety old aunt refers to you as my “pretend friends”. We are made sisters by the shared experiences of grief, of divorce, of motherhood. We are the family of woman, sharing bits and pieces of our lives as we walk each other home.

As I contemplated this yesterday, coffee in hand, my cell phone alerted me. I had a message from my friend, “Hattie”. She told me she’s been thinking about me a lot lately she considers me her very “specialist” old friend. It was attached to a link to Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ song “You Can’t Make Old Friends”.

I told her to hang on, I’d go watch. She watched it again as I did. My heart swelled and tears spilled down my cheeks. You see, “Hattie” isn’t JUST my friend. She is my nonbiological sister. She is my soul partner.

I met “Hattie” in Sophomore Choir. She sat in front of me that first day and had a dress on made from the same fabric as mine. A white background with mod hot pink daisies with neon yellow centers. I tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to look at me. I pointed to my dress, she looked down at hers. And we laughed and laughed. “Hattie” was everything I wanted to be. Petite, long blonde hair, tan, fit, and a voice that belted out any tune she tried. She could play the piano which made me green with envy. But, what drew me to her the most was that personality. “Hattie” brought sunshine with her to every room. She walked with a determined stride. This girl had purpose and I instantly loved her.

As graduation often does, we moved in different directions in life…she eventually to the South, me way out West. “Hattie” was my mother’s “other daughter” and they remained close, even vacationing together. We always stayed close but there were stretches of time we didn’t actually talk. But, we always knew the other was there…with truth, love, and laughter.

As I watched this video, knowing my oldest, dearest, most special-est friend had sent it to me and was watching it with me, my heart reached across the miles and held hers…with a fierce love only old friends can elicit. I pray you have one such old friend in your life. I cannot bear the thought of standing here without her. Instead, I will love on her every chance I get. I will tell her over and over how important she has been in my life. How important she IS in my life because…you truly can’t make old friends.

❤

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

John 15:12-13 NIV