This past weekend we have had the joy and privilege of catching up with some very special life-long friends. I say "life-long" because we met them shortly before we were married when they were still newlyweds. Since we have recently celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary and they are soon to celebrate their forty-first wedding anniversary, I think lifelong is appropriate.
Before they arrived, I was incredibly stressed.
I wanted the house to be perfect but the day before they were due it was windy and there was fresh dust on the windowsills and leaves on the veranda.
I wanted the garden to be immaculate but there were far too many weeds for my liking for that to be the case.
I wanted to look worthy of my friend but felt unattractive on so many levels.
I had to remind myself that she wasn't coming to critique my house or my garden or how well I had aged or not. She was coming to see me. And, as I quickly discovered, that was enough. That it was our friendship that was centre and everything else paled into insignificance.
We had two full days together and two days of travelling. A lot for one weekend. But we made the most of it.
Hours in the car provided ample opportunity to sit and chat and the time simply flew. Teasing each other seemed natural. Gathering with some of our family around the meal table felt like family. Deep and heartfelt discussions we were on the same page. Singing together in church during congregational singing brought back memories of singing together when we were so much younger.
We laughed. We cried. We joked. We ate. And we connected.
I woke this morning knowing it was our last part-day with them and realising how much DH and I will miss them. But not just them but also the type of friendship we have - where we are couple friends. That is, where both DH and I are equally close to both the husband and the wife. We've never had that since we moved here and I realised this weekend how much I miss it. I'm sure I valued it when we had it, but this weekend showed me that it is something that should be treasured and nurtured. It's special.
But that's not all that I will miss. These friends are the type of friends that aren't easily found. They are the type of friends that have walked with us through pain and joy and vice versa. The type of friends where we would hold each other accountable in our marriages or Christian walk if necessary. The type of friends that feel so much like family, that it took our sons years to learn that they actually weren't related by blood or law!
That's what I'm going to miss.
And that's what I'm going to cherish.
Ointment and perfume delight the heart, And the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel. Proverbs 27:9, NKJV.
