Over the weekend I worked, cleaned, work, and cleaned getting the house prepared for Derek. Now this wasn't just house cleaning but I went through the apartment and packed everything in boxes that we haven't used in the last year. It was quite the experience. One of the days I was cleaning I got a text message from a 801(Utah) phone number that said "Mandi I am in Az visiting my sister I would love to see you." This is my most hated thing in life. When someone text you and you try to figure out who it is, but ultimately you know you are just going to have to tell the person who would love to see you that you don't have their number saved in your phone. So I write the person and ask who it is, which I hate. Of course it was someone dear to me, who changed their number and didn't tell me! It was Julie Jones.
Let me tell you about mine and Julie's friend history. Julie and I were both out in Virginia because our husbands were going to school. I had no real friends out there, and remember Julie intimidating me. We had been there August, September, and October and still had not made friends. I find myself to be a very out going person, but I did not feel comfortable around any of the girls in our ward at church. It was a hard 3 months.
One night Derek and I were in bed when Derek got a phone call. It was someone from church calling to tell Derek that he was the home teacher for a family in need of getting somewhere right away, that was an hour away, as quickly as possible. The guy asked us if we had a reliable car that can do that. Now mind you it was 11pm or so, and we were very tired but yes we had a car and yes it was Derek's responsibility.
We got in the car and it took us two minutes to get to there house to find the wife hysterical holding one dog and the husband in shock holding the other. The dogs were wrapped in sheets and there was blood everywhere. On our hour drive to the emergency vet Derek ad I felt so awkward and unsure of what to do for this couple that was obviously loosing their babies!
Even though this was a very traumatic and terrible experience for Julie and Chris it was such a blessing in disguise for all of us. In the next couple of weeks, months, and hopefully years to come Julie and I became best friends, pretty much inseparable and as perfect as could be Chris and Derek loved to share their love for sports. Being in Virginia that year was so wonderful! Julie and Chris got two new puppies, Julie and I cooked a Thanksgiving Turkey (the first time for both of us) together, and we would play games together all the time. I would love evenings where we would go to their house and start talking, Julie and I on one couch and Chris and Derek on the other and get lost in conversation till 2am in the morning!
I know that we were able to help Julie and Chris in that moment, but the experience helped me for much longer then that!
1 comment:
A good friend is so important. What a fabulous story.
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