Missing Bev...

One of the best gifts we can be given in life is a true friend. I have been fortunate and blessed through the years to have many, but one of the dearest and most wonderful is my friend, Bev.

We met while working at the same university. She was in the Advancement Office and I was across campus, in the library. We hit it off immediately, though different backgrounds, personalities and 12 years separated us. Luckily for us both, none of these things have anything to do with a friendship.

I once read a verse that said: "A true friend is one who comes in when the whole world has gone out", and that definitely describes some of the moments when she has been beside me; sitting by my hospital bed and talking me through the hours following an arteriogram, listening to me vent and cry....checking on me when she knew I was alone. Her love and loyalty has brought me through some difficult times and carried me when I couldn't walk on my own.

And the joy.....! We have sat in our favorite restaurant many times, talking late into the night, not realizing that everyone around us was leaving. With Bev, things are brighter, more in "technicolor". She brings out a part of me that I love and miss when she's not around. No one else has ever made me laugh so much, so often or so hard about the silliest things. With the twinkle in her eye and her sharp wit, she can get me to smile in a moment- and keep it there - regardless of where we are or what we're doing. We have spent so much time together that it is nothing unusual to open my door and find my outfit mirrored in hers or thoughts expressed in same words at the same time. Everyone should have a friend like that. Everyone needs a "Bev".

Four years ago she sang at my wedding...and stood beside me as I nervously began a new journey in my life. And a few months ago she, too, remarried and started another chapter in hers. The mile that once stood between our two houses has stretched into nearly 200....and I miss her terribly. We write letters and talk on the phone, but it isn't the same as spending "person" time together; talking, sharing, laughing.

God knew all those years ago I needed a true friend. He placed Bev in my pathway as a compass to guide me over the brambles of life, back into the sunshine. I'm so thankful to walk beside her still and thank Him for this wonderful treasure. Miss you, Ethel.....