Close In Heart
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series II Cycle B
Whenever I think of Katy, I think of God's perfect timing. I met Katy when I was at a very low point, and she was at a high point in her life. We were both new "outsiders" in a tiny town.
I remember so well the day I met her. I had excused myself in the restaurant and when I came back to the booth, I saw my husband talking to a woman, laughing with her. She was sitting in the booth behind him and she was mentioning how much she loved this town she had just moved to. She was very excited!
I was anything but excited. When she said, "Isn't everyone so nice here?" I couldn't help but reply, "Yeah, to each other." My bitterness and cynicism breezed past her as she continued to spout wonders. I smiled politely.
We met all over town in the next few days. We soon became friends. We traded and shared children, feeling free when we could do errands without them. We shared our hopes and our dreams. We shared fears and struggles. And we prayed together.
Katy and I called each other at least ten times a day. One needed a recipe; the other a phone number. One needed a babysitter for Friday; one for Saturday. And so it went. We were inseparable. We were "hooked at the hip" as we said.
My depression lifted. My loneliness eased. And my self-pity vanished. I began to look beyond the tiny, rural town for other friends. These new friendships gave me renewed confidence and a sense of self-esteem. Katy had started something that only got better.
But six months after we met, Katy announced she and her husband had to leave. A better job offer had enticed her husband and they would leave in three weeks. I was unashamed to share my sense of grief at her leaving.
But I was a stronger person by then. I knew she would be better off in a bigger town with more opportunities. It made me sad, but I had rediscovered myself, my strengths, and my loves. Katy's charming effects couldn't be erased.
I cried for days when she left, but I wished her well and in a way I was happy for her. I see her every now and then and it's as if we were never apart. God sent her to me when I most needed a friend, a sister in Christ.
Katy sent me a beautiful little plaque for my last birthday. It reads: "Far in miles; close in heart." Yes, we are far in miles, but God gave a friendship that will last forever. God's timing is perfect!
I remember so well the day I met her. I had excused myself in the restaurant and when I came back to the booth, I saw my husband talking to a woman, laughing with her. She was sitting in the booth behind him and she was mentioning how much she loved this town she had just moved to. She was very excited!
I was anything but excited. When she said, "Isn't everyone so nice here?" I couldn't help but reply, "Yeah, to each other." My bitterness and cynicism breezed past her as she continued to spout wonders. I smiled politely.
We met all over town in the next few days. We soon became friends. We traded and shared children, feeling free when we could do errands without them. We shared our hopes and our dreams. We shared fears and struggles. And we prayed together.
Katy and I called each other at least ten times a day. One needed a recipe; the other a phone number. One needed a babysitter for Friday; one for Saturday. And so it went. We were inseparable. We were "hooked at the hip" as we said.
My depression lifted. My loneliness eased. And my self-pity vanished. I began to look beyond the tiny, rural town for other friends. These new friendships gave me renewed confidence and a sense of self-esteem. Katy had started something that only got better.
But six months after we met, Katy announced she and her husband had to leave. A better job offer had enticed her husband and they would leave in three weeks. I was unashamed to share my sense of grief at her leaving.
But I was a stronger person by then. I knew she would be better off in a bigger town with more opportunities. It made me sad, but I had rediscovered myself, my strengths, and my loves. Katy's charming effects couldn't be erased.
I cried for days when she left, but I wished her well and in a way I was happy for her. I see her every now and then and it's as if we were never apart. God sent her to me when I most needed a friend, a sister in Christ.
Katy sent me a beautiful little plaque for my last birthday. It reads: "Far in miles; close in heart." Yes, we are far in miles, but God gave a friendship that will last forever. God's timing is perfect!
