Blessed...

...in so many ways!

But the blessing I write about today is one
that brings emotion to my eyes and
a smile to my heart.

A friendship that has stood the test of time. 
Actually, the TESTS of time.

She has been a HUGE blessing in my life.
There were times when I thought
I couldn't go on, she sat beside me and listened,
handed me another tissue,
encouraged me with cards and verses from the Bible,
didn't pretend to know the answer to my "WHY?"
prayed for me because I couldn't pray,
she loved me, she gave so much.

She also shares my love for Mexican food
and Julia Roberts movies.  And shopping,
well not really, we shop sometimes but usually we end up
talking in aisles and catching up on each others lives.

Over two decades have passed,
and still she remains my best friend.

This year we celebrate our 40th birthdays,
something we have talked about.
How are we going to celebrate?

We will decide but there is no hurry
because we can enjoy going for dinner and
dreaming until we have another plan.

I say another
because we had a plan...
her dear husband had
bought her a ticket to come visit me
in Costa Rica...
...but
then everything changed.
Her dear husband of 17 years
died suddenly and unexpectedly
and every day became a
painful reminder that he was gone.

So celebrating birthdays,
even 40th birthdays,
have been a little hard
and a little emotional.

but we did celebrate and I was
honored to make her not 1 but 2 cakes.

This was the "decoy" cake.
 Just so maybe we could surprise her with a party.

And so a week later we celebrated again.
And surprised her a little, but she was
putting the pieces together all along.
Her kids did an amazing job of
making sure the details were taken
care of.

And so another cake was on order.

I love you , my dear friend!
You are a picture of beauty
from the inside out.
I am extremely proud of you
and blessed beyond words
to call you friend!