old friends

Yesterday was a day I had been looking forward to for a while now.  Our old friends and children's pastors from our old church were going to be back in town for a brief time.  Tim and Jenny left Memphis seven years ago~it's so hard to believe that it's been that long since they've been gone.  From here, they've been to Arizona, Indiana (or Illinois?), Oklahoma and now they're residing in Missouri for the time being.  

From there, they will be going to Cameroon, Africa for the next three years.  They've been itenerating and they were here for a missions convention.  

It was so good to see them, and very quickly, I remembered why we loved them so much.  Todd has never connected with another friend since they left all those years ago, and the night they pulled away from our home seven years ago, we both just stood there and sobbed, along with Graham and Drew.  

This is why Heaven will be so sweet to me...well, aside from Jesus, of course.  Friends like this will no longer have to be said to goodbye to, or see you later, or whatever it is you say when you will be apart.  

Last night we shared what we've been up to, we laughed, we remembered, we ate.  (What is a good visit without food?)  We tried to have our picture taken, and fourteen tries later, Graham got a decent one.  

These are some of the most beautiful, sweet and amazing people we have ever had the privilege of being friends with in all of our eighteen years of being married.  To say that we are just friends doesn't do it justice~they are more like family.

Here's one of all the kids.

My turkeys weren't cooperating, but their girls look sweet!  Whitney and Kaitlyn are 13 and 9~they were 6 and 2 when they moved from here~ours were 8, 7 and 4.  It's so hard to believe it's been that many years.  

These are the people we got our cat Twinkles from.  They didn't want to take her with them on their cross country trek to Arizona.  

They were trying to find the best route for them to take to go back to where they were staying.  

When our night was over and the time came to say goodbye, hugs were shared and all the old emotions welled up within me.  Hopefully we'll get to see them before they go to Cameroon next August, but we may not.  And after they're there, they will be there full time, for three years.  Then they'll start itenerating all over again, and we might see them then.  

Or Jesus might return before then and we will see them in Heaven. 

Either way, I thank God for friends like them.  The ones you connect so deeply with that your heart is never the same.  It was awesome seeing them connect with Graham and Drew again, too.  Even they commented on how much they had missed Tim and Jenny.  

It was a great night, one that will be a great memory for a long time to come.

Love to all.