Special friends

A little out of the blue I got a call from this sweet woman, Christina, who I hadn't talked to in years saying she would be in town for the week at a Mary Kay thing and could I come see her at her hotel. I heartily agreed and we met up for a fun afternoon in which I got to hear her beautiful speech as she won an award. It felt like we had just seen each other the day before, even though it had been nearly ten years. I wanted to post about her because she is a precious friend. Whenever I think of her I smile.

When Dave and I first got married we lived in Lexington Park, MD where Dave was a Marine at the base there. During that time (and believe me it was an interesting time), I waited tables at a Lone Star restaurant. I was a rowdy newlywed and hadn't given much thought to much religious upbringing in a while, except for a brief time when I was kind of forced to by my circumstances. It was at work one day that I met Christina. She was sitting off at a table with some of the other servers (oh yeah, she worked there too) and I overheard her say she was home from BYU. I knew right away that she was LDS (its not a drug, btw, for more info on that go here). We talked a bit and hit it off really well. I found out that she was married and had no kids, just like me. We stayed outside after work one night talking in the parking lot until very late. After that I just remember her being a good friend. I didn't really have any in MD, I was newly married, living with my MIL and Dave worked long hours. She was a lifesaver in that way, but in another way as well. I hadn't approached the idea of becoming active in the church again for fear that I was not good enough or that it wouldn't do me any good. I didn't feel I would fit in. Christina fellowshipped me in the most Christlike way, without judgement or expectation. She invited me to attend General Conference (a broadcast from our church headquarters). I went with her to one session and was very touched by the Holy Ghost. After that I went home and sat at my kitchen table alone in the dark with a Book of Mormon in front of me. I stared for a long time wondering what I was afraid of, why I was so weary of seeking faith and strength from God. It was during this time that my heart was opened and began to have the small seed of desire for a testimony. Shortly after this experience we moved away, I got pregnant and returned to the church and every good thing in my life has stemmed from living gospel principles. I share this story to thank Christina for the legacy she left in my family. For the tender mercy that the Lord sent into my life by our "coincidental" meeting. I will be forever in her debt for choosing to love me and be my friend at a critical time in my life.