Thursday, June 19, 2008



(See what happens when I can't speak for Wordless Wednesday--I take two posts on Thursday).

O.K.....so I was on my way to StarBucks to tap into some HIGH SPEED...(couldn't resist the double inuendo!) ....and the air conditioning guy showed up a little earlier than expected. Interesting what new air filters will do to the air circulation in a cabin!

THEN, a neighbor came by to find out if our air conditioning was working--because--of course, he saw the air conditioning truck!

THEN, it was time for lunch, and being the good mom that I am, I fed the children!

THEN, THEY wanted to go tubing--o.k. now they're pushing my maternal patience! Don't they know, I have BLOGGING to do!
THEN, I get the message from my sister....enough of the waiting already...what's up about the wordless thing!

So now, I sign onto blogger (requiring a short nap whilst waiting for AOL to sign on!), and I read on the blogger page that there is a scheduled maintenance at 2:00 p.m. PT...which is NOW in Minnesota! YIKES!

Anyway--I will try to post this the old fashioned way! No photos--I can't afford the long winter's nap it will take to upload)...so please, see yesterday's photos and keep them in your mind....here goes.

My best friend in junior high school was Donna. I don't remember what class we met in, but I do remember that being with her was like a breath of fresh air! My home life was less than perfect and I didn't have many friends--one to be exact. Patty J.
I loved being with Donna--we laughed, we plodded, we schemed, we dreamed! Everything two carefree 13 year old girls should be doing. For those junior high years, I saw Donna each day in school and spent summers with her at every opportunity. That wasn't easy! She lived several rural towns away from the "big" city I lived in--St. Cloud. I biked to her house with regularity....imagining that now makes me wonder.....it was miles, and miles, and miles away from home. I had to cross highways and spent, I'm sure, more than an hour alone on rural roads. You wouldn't let a 13 year old do that today!

Her mom, Mary,  invited me to work on their farm one summer. Work? It was more like heaven. I stayed with their family, I ate like never before, and occassionally, Mary had me do a few household chores. Donna had a horse (I have always loved horses!) and knew tons of other people and the nights were filled with summer crushes, days at Briggs Lake, and sweet dreams for the future. A future that I had long stopped hoping for after the death of my beloved Grandmother when I was ten.

I had fun, I felt loved, and I pretended to belong. I had hope.

I returned home. The pressures of life became overwhelming and my hope turned to self-hate. When I returned to school, now High School, Donna remained on the straight and narrow, I took a huge U-turn! Our paths no longer intersected flawlessly and my behavior changed as my dreams faded. Behavior that Donna could never accept; still, without judgement, she pulled away from the crash I was heading for.

Skipping ahead just a few decades.....the photos from yesterday's post!

There's another story in those decades...I'll save that for another novella...I mean post!

While we have communicated from time to time over the years, it has been more than 25 years since I last saw her. While I was in college, my life would cross paths once more with her mom, Mary. Mary worked full time at the department store that I worked at, part-time during my first attempt at that college thing!  And of course, the way this small world works....my friend, Patty J., eventually married Donna's big brother...having two boys who are now grown, married and have families of their own!  

Decades later, I found myself searching (stalking?) anyone on Facebook who shared Donna's maiden or married name.  I found two of her nephews....each lovingly shared her current contact information.  I emailed Donna at her workplace....and the rest they say is history.  

The two of us met for lunch about a month ago and Tuesday of this week, Mary, Donna and I met nearby their old farm homestead for a great lunch!  Mary is now in her 80's.....has been married for 60 years and still lives on the farm I "worked" on so long ago.  Isn't she amazing!  60 years of marriage!  Did God choose a good role model or what!?!?

(I'm at Caribou!  StarBucks does not have WiFii here for crying out loud!) 

So, it seems, this post has survived two types of internet connection, a days worth of delays, a blogger maintenance schedule and the discovery of Caribou coffee......but what is most amazing on this Thankful Thursday....is God's amazing ability to reach into our hearts....take our brokenness and make us whole!  

It is truly amazing that Iris chose this Scripture for today's TT:   "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!  Psalm 30: 11-12!!!!!!

Happy TT!!!









11 comments:

Denise said...

God is so awesome.

Diane@Diane's Place said...

Isn't it wonderful to reconnect not just with our friends, but with our memories and dreams? :o)

Lovely, heartwarming post, Diane.

Love and hugs,

Diane

Peggy said...

OK Partner in Prayer for our Prodigals...IT WAS WORTH the WAIT and even all your connection problems...the THANKFUL reunion of long lost friends, and even her mom! Truly an aMazing blessing!

This truly was heartfelt though and May the Lord restore the years!
Be blessed & keep in touch!

Dawn said...

This is a wonderful, awesome story. What a wonderful thing the Internet can be - remember how I found my junior high friend last summer - with the Internet. I am so glad you found Donna and her mom, and that they were so good to you when you were a kid. God is so good!

Nadine said...

How good is God to bring this story around to such a reunion.

Sharon Lynne said...

How amazing you found her nephews on facebook.

I'm so glad you were able to connect. It sounds like you had great fun on that farm.

Sounds like you had a rough road growing up.

But now you're an inspiration to many!

Sam said...

This is a lovely story and you tell it beautifully. What an incredible gift to be able to reconnect after so many years. A real blessing!

Wonderful post!

Sammy

southmsmomof4 said...

Great post. I really enjoyed reading it. What a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing. Be blessed
Stacy

C. H. Green said...

Glad you finally got that connection! I have been offline for a bit. Had to scrape up for a new laptop. Lost all my favorite links too. I have readded ya. Can't lose my Minnesota Friend ...hugsss n love. things are getting better. smile.

Deborah said...

Hi, I just found your blog...the title was enough to get me to check it out, as I have a prodigal. Nice meeting you!

groovyoldlady said...

Isn't it cool how God works? One day I was musing over what a BAD witness I had been during high school. (It's amazing how satan likes to torture us with our past. The creep!) I was getting depressed and feeeling like a failure and the phone rang. It was an old high school friend calling me to tell me about our class' planned reunion. She said she had purposely chosen to be the one to call me because God had laid it on her heart to tell me that due to my witness in high school, she had committed herself to Christ and was now married to a Pastor and was in fulltime ministry.

All my blues just flew away in God's sweet assurance that He DID use me and He DOES use me, in spite of my foolishness!