We had a couple over last night for the first time in several months. They aren’t just acquaintance friends, they are long-time, way-back friends. They are I knew him before he met her and I knew her before she met him friends. They are friends we got to watch fall in love over ski trips and Alias, friends who came to our house the night they got engaged and didn’t even have to say any words because we just knew.
We stood beside them as friends when they said I do, The Man in his suit and I in those heels and our littles holding onto both their white flower baskets and onto me as I said this at their wedding. They came over regular and played with our kids on the floor in front of Dora, and then patiently waited as we put them to bed. As the kids slept quiet in their cribs, we’d all settle in to watch LOST together because it’s just not the kind of show you watch alone. A few years later, we prayed for them when they wanted so badly to have a baby of their own, I was sad for her when it seemed it wasn’t going to happen, and we were excited with them as they felt moved toward adoption.
About a year ago, they sent in the initial adoption paperwork and I thought I knew how their story was going to play out. Until four days later when she pulled me aside at a wedding of a friend: Don’t freak out and she sneaky showed me a photo on her phone of a positive pregnancy test. Needless to say, I freaked out. Because she is a long-time, way-back friend and that’s just what you do.
So tonight, they came over for dinner and Chuck – different show, same old times. As the evening passed with a familiar but new set of rhythms now that they have a baby of their own, I realized how very much I love these friends, these times we get with them to catch up and laugh and watch great-to-us TV and eat too much ice cream. We may not be able to do it as often as we used to, but today I remember to remember to love that we did it last night.
Maybe you are living in the midst of normal weekly gatherings, or friendly dinners, or favorite TV night parties. Because you live in the midst of them now, it is hard to see the gift they will be to you when the regular isn’t regular anymore. What are the gifts you are living today? Open them up and tell us what they are.
If you would like to join in, welcome! If you have questions, check out the information on my Tuesdays Unwrapped page. If you are reading in a reader, you may have to click over to see the links and I really hope you read at least a few. This will be our last Tuesday to unwrap together until November, so let’s make it count.
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