Visiting...Old Memories

    What would a good visit with old friends be without catching up on each others lives, giggling, and food?!...I don't know, because that is ALWAYS the way it is when my friends come to visit!! And that's the way it was yesterday too.

    It was so good to see my Mothers, and Sisters, in the faith!

    They had quite a drive coming up too! It was pouring rain here on the East Coast yesterday! In fact, it still is this morning. But after they got in, dried off and rested a little while, it was as if the "Talking" referee said: "Okay, Let the talking begin!" They caught me up on old friends of mine in their congregation, they joked with my hubby, as usual, and shooed him out, and then us girls talked about what girls like to talk about. We talked of clothes, and what we would have to eat later! Honestly, No real visit would be complete without talk of.... FOOD! Would it?!

   But first, we had a meeting to attend at Noon. It was a good meeting too! All about how we have to control our tongues with ones in the congregation, with friends, and with our family. It was so encouraging to be reminded of something you already know, but something that, because of all of life's stresses and challenges, can be easily forgotten. Our family and friends deserve positive talk from us. There's enough negative talk in this world already!...And looking at these two smiling faces, who wanted to say anything negative anyway!!! :-)

   After the meeting hubby was off to a Bible Study of his, and us girls got to eating! We had KFC chicken...frankly because my friend, the one on the left, LOVES, LOVES, LOVES her chicken!!! You should have seen the smile on her face as she was eating it, with a big towel tucked under her chin! I didn't DARE try to take a picture either!!...We also had Catfish, corn, fried okra, veggies of different kinds, and the gift they brought with them.........WATERMELON!

     And it was delicious!!!

One of my friends, is kinda shy.

    She didn't eat much. She just laughed, sang, and talked. As soon as I heard her voice when she got in the door, I got a little weepy. One of our other friends and her were BEST friends. You never saw one without the other. And if you heard one of their voices, you thought about the other. Well, her BEST friend died a few months ago. She has many friends and much family, but I still couldn't help but feel sad to see her without her 'bestest' buddy.

    Their visit reminded me of how great our friends are, how much of a void in our lives they fill, and how much we really need the touchstone of friends...even when things are going fine. Even long distances, and long spaces of time not seeing each other personally, don't matter with real friends. When you see each other it's always as if you just saw each other yesterday!

    They loved my new place. The peacefulness of my backyard got into their hearts as well. I think they'll be back sooner just because of that!

    But now I have a refrigerator full of leftovers, and only me and hubby in the house to eat it!

    I guess I don't have to wonder what's for lunch...and dinner...for the next week or so!!

     After big hugs, and rain gear secured, my friends were back out onto the open road heading home. All my leftovers are secured, and everything else is put away or back into it's usual place....all except my smile. It's not gonna be in it's usual place for a little while now. They moved it up on the ends a little bit! Or maybe I swallowed a smile along with the watermelon!! :-)

   Do you have any stories to share about your friends coming to visit? I'd love to hear them!

Fall Is The Tree

Fall is the tree,

with its colors all set free

in the orange and red you see,

and the golden leaves in the

honey-colored harmony

of a busy bumble bee.

Its so beautiful that we

don't even have to pay a fee

for the stark tranquility

that just fills our heart with glee.

Fall is the tree,

and it makes us hit our knee,

and thank God so humbly

for the unlocked door and key

to our visual memory.

All the other seasons flee,

but the fall is the tree.