From the Heart
It was a same time, same place, kind of Tuesday morning. My best friend Patrice and I were sharing a cup of coffee at Ginger’s. I should say a few cups of coffee.
We call it therapy. We have an appointment every Tuesday.
You see, after some 50-plus years of friendship, we know each other well. Our hearts are well acquainted.
We are part of a growing number of those who are a bit over middle-aged, and caring for our elderly mothers, as well as holding tightly to children and grandchildren as they find their way through life.
It’s a roller coaster.
Now when Patrice and I were 13 she convinced me to go on my first roller coaster ride in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It would be my last. It was not only me that decided that but Patrice as well.
I think she lost part of her hearing that day as I screamed for dear life. I was sitting behind her as the car, in which we were riding, dropped what felt like hundreds of feet. We then careened around a bend that I was sure would shoot me to my death.
I made a vow to Patrice and God that I would never again ride a rollercoaster. I have kept that promise.
Over the past 50 years we have been on a few emotional roller coasters. We have ridden those together.
We have both made the call that our dads had passed. We have both written and read the texts that our kids were in car crashes. One time, our daughters, Jill and Emily, hit a deer as they were coming back from Cincinnati. We both thanked the good Lord that they were not hurt, just a bit shaken up and scared…as were we.
Life is hard. The journey is often a bit treacherous and the ride is scary. Knowing you have someone in your messy, sometimes not so fun life, is truly a blessing.
Patrice and I both understand, yet have to remind each other, that life is not about figuring it all out BUT learning to accept it. Friends make that a bit easier.
The older I get the more I am reminded of the value of a longtime friendship. What happens along our journey makes us who we are and that forever friend knows us well.
A longtime friend will often remind us that we will be okay … someday. If we are not yet okay, then they will be there to hold our hand, even while we scream.
I look forward to Tuesdays with Patrice and the coffee at Ginger’s café. The coffee is strong and the friendship is sweet. I may have to speak a little louder. I may have hurt her hearing on that roller coaster when we were 13 but she still hears very well with her heart. I am forever grateful for her heart and how well it listens.
And if I ever even think about riding another rollercoaster? Patrice will convince me otherwise.