My cousin Melissa and I went antiquing in Puyallup on Thursday and then had lunch at an awesome Thai restaurant. We completed the day by hunting for treasures at the local Ross. It has been such a blessing to move so far from home only to find out that Melissa lives next door (practically).
Growing up, Melissa and I were very close. She is my age and I like to think we survived Jr. High because we had each other. It’s not like we went to school together but we were the best of pen pals (a lost art). I have a shoe box full of letters in the top drawer of my dresser that I can’t bear to throw away. As life usually goes we each went to our respective colleges, got married and had beautiful families. We see each other at holidays and try to catch up as best we can amongst many interruptions.
A favorite memory of mine, among many, is a trip we took to Hood Canal. Her family vacationed with a church group annually and I was invited to join them one week in the summer. We had so much fun playing tennis, spying on her brother and combing the beach. My favorite memory has to be of us taking the canoes out in the Sound. I can remember singing a song together which goes something like this: “I have decided to follow Jesus (repeat), Take the whole world but give me Jesus (repeat), The cross before me the world behind me (repeat), No turning back, no turning back!” We sang it from the heart, softly though because both of us wished to have better singing voices.
This song brings me back to the present. As my family was being called here to Pierce County, Melissa’s was being called to Oklahoma. You see, she too is a pastors wife. When we were in the canoe that summer day we were not aware of the similar future’s we would have. I can remember being 14 and 15 years of age and dreaming of our husbands being friends and us living close. Her husband Dave, and Scott get along famously. They are so much alike it’s bizarre. I guess our dream did come true, if only for 5 months.
