Love and appreciation...

Last Sunday I received a phone call that a high school friend of mine had passed away unexpectedly.  As I sat and listened, I was in complete disbelief.  He had been a friend since junior high, we were in youth group together at church, we graduated together.  Then, we fast forward several years.  We had our boys about one year apart and they played ball together, at first against each other, but as they got older on the same All Star team. We spent many weekends at ball fields, and I can honestly say there was never a time he wasn't smiling or making the boys laugh.  As my kids got older, and J was a senior... it was time for senior pictures to be taken.  There was never a decision to be made on who it would be... it would be Mike.  The day we had everything scheduled, he met us at the farm (where J worked), got in an ATV - and we started on our adventure for the day (I was squished in between J and Mike). It was one of the best days for us - I had a child who despised having photos taken, and then I had a friend who absolutely brought his personality out in every photo. Not only did he capture the perfect moments from my child, he truly captured the beauty of the farm that J worked on (and still does today), and the beautiful animals that my child has such a passion for.

 
Yesterday, I got to the church I had grown up in, to say good-bye to a friend.  As people came in, it was amazing to see all the faces through the years to come and pay their respects to our friend.  We all talked, reminisced, told stories... there were tears and there was laughter.  There was music, and there was worshiping.  It was absolutely a beautiful service, planned by the loved ones who love and miss him so very much.  

After the service was over, several us went to eat, talk catch up, and simply visit. When I left there yesterday, I was so very appreciative of having grown up in a loving, Christian home - where an emphasis was put on building a relationship with God. As I looked at the people who were in the youth group I loved so much - I was overwhelmed with knowing the love that is still there for one another after all of these years.  We all get busy, and have our lives... but at the end of the day, in the time of need - everyone is there for love and support.

The other piece of this for me, is that some of those sweet people I grew up with going to Wednesday night church and going on mission trips with, are now my daughter's leaders on Wednesday nights and they are helping her prepare to go on her first mission trip in a couple of weeks. I pray that my kids will have the same friendships in their small groups at church, that I had growing up.

So... I will leave you with this.  Life is short, we do not know when God will call us home.  Be sure to cherish and appreciate every minute with your friends and loved ones.  Be sure to hug their neck and kiss those sweet cheeks.  But most of all...be sure to support them, pray for them, and love them every day!