Friends

I haven't posted for a long time, and I really need to post about Christmas and other things that have gone on, but tonight I need to post about a friend. A few times in life a friend walks in that is an instant friend, someone that you know that you have know since before you came to earth, someone that you know was placed in your life for a very important reason. Today I spent the afternoon helping a one of these friends pack up her house so that she can move to Utah. I've been in denial that she is actually moving, but as I packed up her kitchen it was very real. I did really well with it until we came home and my little Min, who is very tender hearted started crying and that made me cry. Their family has been a very big part of our family, espcially for the last 5 years. We have been through a lot together - holidays when neither of us had family around to spend the holiday with, Sunday dinners, late night drives and talks, many, many phone calls, making gingerbread houses, sending boys on missions, and everyday life. She is the person who walked me through each step of adopting our kids. When things looked like they weren't going to work out because of things that the social worker was doing she rallied the parents of one of the plays I was directing and had everyone write letters saying that we should be allowed to adopt any kids we wanted. On the day that the kids showed up she was there helping me put beds together and get things ready. On the first day we took the kids to church she was there, and when our little Min ended up in the hospital that day she was there to help me through it. On the tough days after that while we were all adjusting as a family she was there to talk me through it, and to tell me it would all be okay. When I've needed a babysitter and no one else was around that could handle me kids she was there. When we brought my mother-in-law home from the hospital to live with us for awhile she was there to help me learn how to care for a recovering patient, and was there every day to check her leg and to rewrap it and care for it. As I have gone through the struggles of raising adopted children she has been there to understand things that only someone with adopted children can understand. As she has gone through her divorce I have realized how very lucky I am to have the husband I have. As she has cared for her little Jacob who has many physical limitations I have learned compassion, and my children have learned to care for someone who is different than them. And as I have watched as he came very close to leaving this world I have learned how precious life is, and how short it can be. As I have been called in the middle of the night to the emergency room as Jacob has had another bad spell I have learned about the important things in life. I know that she was placed in my life to help me out with many things, and to help me learn many things, I am so very grateful for the time that we have had together. I will miss her tremendously, and am grateful that friendships go on despite miles between.