Do you know the importance of a lasting friendship? And when I type "lasting", I'm not talking about a friend that you met four years ago at the local church, PTA or neighborhood watch meeting. Those friends are wonderful to have. Don't get me wrong. It is a blessing when the Lord gives you a friend especially when you haven't had a good one in a long time. Someone to share with, laugh with and hang out with at the local mall. But this type of friendship is different. I'm talking about a friend that you have had over 10, 15 or 25 years. The type of friend that walks with you through heartache, divorce or great loss. This type of friend knows all your idiosyncrasies and loves you anyway. A friend who knows your greatest fears yet strives to push you to your greatest level. I'm blessed. I have some wonderful friends that I've know for over twenty -five years. But I'm not even talking about them. (If you are reading this blog entry...I love you, I really do!)
No, I'm talking about these friends. These three women (they're sisters) are my oldest friends. Meet Caroline, (me), Kelly and Chris. I met Kelly when I was three or four years old. I could have been younger. One of my youngest memories is of me crying because Kellie had to report to school on the first day. I couldn't tag along. I wasn't old enough to go to school. I think I was four. I was heartbroken. I remember it like it was yesterday. All I know is I have known her my entire life. Kelly has been my best friend for over forty years. When baby sister Caroline, could walk independently, she tagged along on all of our adventures whether we wanted her to or not. She was a constant reminder that she was a part of us too. And we didn't really appreciate Chris until we got a little bit older. She liked to boss us around but she could play a mean hands of jacks.
We were a part of the "Hartley Hill Gang". The title, we gave to ourselves. It's the street we lived on some 40 years ago. And surprisingly, there were more of us. Richie, Toni, Zep, Terry, Mary Gail, Linda, Lou Ellen and Wilma all were a part of those childhood memories. During elementary and middle school we had pageants, fashion shows, singing contests and boy, could we play church. We hiked hours in the woods and scoured the neighborhood for apple trees. We ate them green and raw.
Remembering those summer nights of "One, Two, Three Red Light", "Red Rover", "Hide and Seek" only brought back fonder memories of summer days of softball, kickball and tag. Choir rehearsal, Vacation Bible School (VBS) and days up at the Rec filled our summer days with Jesus, Bible verses and days on the swings . I'll never forget when there was going to be an eclipse. We all believed that it was the end of the world. Did we panic? No! We gathered on the softball field, joined hands and prayed for God's divine intervention!!!!
During high school, we went to Chris' basketball games, I marched in the band and Kellie cheered at the football games. We went on triple dates, hung out at Broyhill Park and spent summer days at Lake James. (Caroline wasn't old enough and we FINALLY got to leave her at home.) But those days we were home, we spent hours reading Harlequin Romances, Silhouette Desires and listened to R&B. We danced, joked and laughed until our sides would ache and tears streamed down our faces. We did everything together. We got our ears pierced...together. We went to the pool...together. We shared cookies and peach sodas from their Grandfather's store...together. One day, we decided to play with matches and we inadvertently set the woods on fire. The fire trucks came and of course, they blamed me. Didn't we do everything TOGETHER?! No, we did not get a spanking together...only me. (I'm still upset about it!)
Yet, here we are together again. Last weekend, some 40 plus years later, we celebrated Chris and her husband, LeChone's 18 year Recommitment Ceremony. (Isn't she beautiful?) We laughed and cried. Chris cried through the entire ceremony. When she wasn't crying, she was laughing. It was the funniest thing. Kelly, Caroline and I tried to be adult and not fall on the floor from laughing. (By the way, we use to be terrible in church. We would laugh at the Mothers of the church who sang off key and we tried our best not to pee on ourselves...literally. But remember, we were only 9, 12, and 13.) Yet, here we were in Havelock, NC all grown up, acting like three young school girls, laughing at the most inappropriate time and I was remembering yesterday.
Yes, these are my oldest and dearest friends. We finish each other's sentences. We know what the other is thinking and can quickly state it better than the other. We have loved and supported each other through the death of their young mother, their father and my daughter. We endured parental alcoholism, a family shooting and high school heartbreak (three of us...well, Kelly would say two of us). Oh, the ties that bind. We have been in each other's weddings and supported two through divorce, one during the death of a fiance and loved one through some difficult personal trials. They love my parents as if they were their own and we share the love for our children. Still, on last weekend, (although it was Chris's day), it was still about us. The Hartley Hill Gang, sharing yet another milestone in the life of one another. As we stood taking this picture, I couldn't help but reminisce about the days in the apple trees and playing kickball on the Hill. It is amazing how God can bless you with this much love through the power of friendship. He intricately entwined our lives together that even when we are a part, we are still together.
As we loaded up the car to leave the hotel, I hugged Kelly and Caroline with tears threatening to stream down my face. These were my friends, (I would even say, my sisters), who will always be a part of me. I look back over my own life and I realize that I would not be the woman I am today had these women not been in my life. I don't think I could have made it this far without them.
So to you, I say, treasure that old friend. Call them up, reminisce and talk about "the old days". Share those powerful stories and great adventures that made you laugh and cry.
But try not to pee in your pants.
Blessings,
Melodie
