When friends move...

Three years ago a new couple arrived in Sunday School class and I said "hello" to them in my best bubbly, loud, and welcoming way. Thankfully, that didn't scare them off. :) Turns out, our kids met in Sunday School class as well, and immediately became friends. A few weeks later, the wife asked if our family would be interested in exchanging babysitting for weekly date nights (once for us, and once for them, etc.). Elliott and I had not been regular with going on dates since we, well, dated, so we said YES!

And our friendship began. With a little visiting before and after "the date night hand off" each week, our families grew closer and, in the blink of an eye, a year was gone. After the first year our friends decided to make a move. God orchestrated the events, it was obvious because the timing could not have been more perfect. The location was ideal too, they became our next door neighbors (thirteen houses removed).

So, for the last two years, our children have walked, run, galloped, skipped, and biked up and down the street to see each other. They have climbed trees, hidden under tables, made forts, flown paper airplanes, built Lego creations, and put on plays. We have gone nearly everywhere together, short trips to the zoo, and road trips to science museums three hours away, birding trips across town and across Texas. We survived the "knock-knock" joke phase together, and moved on into the silly song phase. Our families have shared meals, and laughs, and desserts (oh, the caramel!).

As moms, we have shared countless cups of coffee and tea, laughed and cried, exhorted and encouraged. We have bared our hearts and been transparent and real. When it really comes down to it, life can't be shared on the periphery, you have to dive in with both feet.  We've stayed up too late chatting and woken up insanely early to go on various adventures. We've prayed together, read the Bible together, and learned from each other. Sometimes iron sharpens iron in unexpected ways; we frequently said how it was obvious if I was walking in the Spirit if I was on the floor playing with my kids, and she was if her counters were clean.

Scripture reminds us in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven". The day we met this couple and learned they were in the military, we knew the day would come for them to move on. We just didn't realize how fast that day would come, or how hard it would be to say goodbye.


My friend and I planned a super yummy "last meal" together for our families on Father's Day. I laugh looking back at all the other "last meals" we've unexpectedly shared in the last two weeks. We started making a "three year" list, instead of thinking of the lasts we decided to mark all the things we will do again in three years when they come back. The kids started figuring out how old they will all be when they see each other again. This evening as our friends stopped by for a few minutes for final goodbyes, the hugs were tight and the tears came fast. It was a great three years. I would do it all again. Even the tears.