Forty Years with My Best Friend
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman’ for she was taken out of man.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:23-24
Pretty, petite, funny, fun and adventurous, sometimes a little shy; determined, dedicated and dependable, that’s my best friend; sweet, loving, kind, gentle, soft spoken, and low key . . . except, “when someone messes with my children,” she once said of herself, “then I am the mother lion.” And that she is as I have witnessed many times through the years, my best friend’s gentle soft spoken nature turning into aggression when she would see her children in danger or under attack and in need of defense, protection or rescue. Even today off in the shadows but on high alert she continually keeps watch over her children and grandchildren, like a mother lion watching over her cubs ready to defend, protect, or rescue at the first sign of danger. That’s my best friend.
It was on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend that we first met. Skeptical at first, we both almost declined the invitation having had rather poor experiences in the past with such arrangements. “But oh well,” we each thought, “why not try it one more time.” And when our eyes met for the first time there was an instant connection, like no other either of us had ever experienced. By the end of our second date we were bonded – for life as it turned out. We became inseparable best friends, “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” Together we have raised a family, supported each other through all kinds of trials, laughed a lot, cried a little, suffered through scarce times and rejoiced in prosperous ones, tried things that didn’t work and some that did, shared meals together, traveled, read books and watched movies, worked together and played together – mostly we have a lot of fun together and still do. That’s what best friends do.
She’s still the same mother lion to our children and grandchildren, and the same pretty, petite, fun, funny, sweet, loving, kind, gentle person I met on that blind date, a gift from God. And today marks a special occasion – forty wonderful years with my best friend.