Friends....

Jerra and I have been friends for a very long time! We met in elementary school and though we only lived in the same town for two years we have remained great friends! During the two years we lived in the same town Jerra's parents lived in the cemetery. Jerra's dad was the pastor of a local Pentecostal church and was also the grounds keeper at the cemetery. Though we were/are both Christian girls we decided that once we went to heaven there wouldn't be a line for the Baptist girls and the Pentecostal girls so, we did what any normal pre-teens would do, we pushed the limits in some areas. When Jerra would come to my house I would pull out a pair of blue jeans for her to wear. We also put makeup on and one day we even trimmed her hair a little. Jerra's parents were fully aware of what would go on when we had our get togethers and would always say "you girls". I always remember Jerra's parents as being so welcoming and inviting. We would have sleep-overs at their house along with pizza parties. During the fall we would take flashlights with us and run through the cemetery. Mary, Jerra's mom would always be close behind keeping an eye on us ~ the things we thought we "heard" in a cemetery at night around Halloween was funny ~ leaves would rustle and we would jump, scream and run more!

When it came to our weddings Jerra was the maid of honor in my wedding and I was the maid of honor in Jerra's wedding. Before Jerra's wedding in PA her parents took us on a wonderful boat ride around a beautiful lake. That evening we had dinner on the lake too ~ it was a night we will always remember:)

Jerra's dad, Jerry was a dynamic man. When he preached there wasn't a doubt that God was in the room. Though he was a very tall man he had such a gentleness about him. He always had such a hearty laugh as well. On October 1 Jerry, who I also called dad in my younger days went to be with Jesus in heaven. Yesterday we all celebrated his life here on earth. Though there were a lot of tears yesterday, one thing that will always stand out is what Mary said as we were hugging each other "we were married 48 years and it just wasn't long enough". Living in a world where 50% of the population is getting divorced it was so refreshing hearing those words and they are words I will always remember.

Mary will be moving back to IN in the next couple of months to be closer to her family. It will be sad for her leaving all the memories in PA however she will be closer to her IN family and friends. Jerra and I will also be able to see each other more often as well as when she flies in from FL to see her mom we can pick her up from the airport and spend some girl time together; as it has been ten years since we last saw each other this is something we are both looking forward to:)