Story -

I was asked to direct the wedding of my Best Girlfriend's daughter.

What a responsibility.

What an honor.

It was hard work.

It was fatigue inducting. 

It was glorious. 

The next few posts will be about the wedding and details.

But this one.....

This post is about story.

About friendship.

About love, laughter, acceptance, grace, forgiveness.

About two women with history. 

About two women with future. 

About Melissa and I

********************************************

Once upon a time, a young family visited Jones Chapel UMC. 

Then they became regular attending folks. 

A nice man with a beautiful wife.

And three adorable little girls. 

Outside the church, I called them 

"that couple with the three pretty little girls"

We became friends.

Our girls became friends. 

That became a close friendship. 

We were together A LOT. 

There was soccer, softball, basketball.

There was youth and children's work at church.

There were parties and gatherings.

Phone calls.

Visits.

(being knocked down stairs)

(Moving dinner parties)

There was even my breaking and entering her house 

(Long story, but she "supposedly left a key" and that didn't work out) 

And there are many INSIDE JOKES

Melissa is a bit older than I 

and

a long, long, time ago

there was a discussion

about how 

OLD PEOPLE COLLECT BREAD TIES

please go read at the link, it makes this make sense.

Welcome back.

Melissa and I (she's the pretty one on the right)

Friday Night at the rehearsal dinner.

Several years ago - I made her a 40th Birthday Crown from bread ties.

On Friday night, She handed me a bag and said 

"we got you something"

Not expected by me,

Appreciated. Yes.

And Her daughter says I cannot wait to see her face. 

I began to open my gift.

Lift tissue paper out.

See THAT SAME DANGED CROWN.

Melissa had kept it all these years. 

Knowing the RIGHT time would come to return it. 

As you can see in the the picture below,

I immediately burst into hysterical laughter

Because I just KNEW.

I laughed.

I cried.

I snorted - yes.

I almost wet myself.

It was that funny.

And I was moved beyond measure. 

There were "real" gifts that I glanced at in that bag. 

Gifts of monetary value. 

Selected especially for me. 

I love them.

But upon pulling that crown from the wrapping, I had just unwrapped the REAL gift.

A gift of friendship.

One that has been through trials.

Through laughter, tears, joy, fears.

One that moved a half cooked dinner party from one house to another because the football game was blacked out.

Has drank together.

Has cried together.

Has prayed together.

Has praised together. 

Has endured two weddings (three more to go)

Has accepted changes.

Has endured medical crisis.

Has kept secrets.

Has spoken honestly.

Has spoken unkindly.

Has begged forgiveness

Has given grace. 

A friendship that has history - and future.

A friendship that picks right up again even after long periods of time together.

As her daughter said.

The crown was the real gift in that bag.

Yes, that keeping of the crown all these years

makes the crown (remember it was made from trash)

have such a beautiful value.

Because 

that crown is a visible reminder of the real gift

A GOD BLESSED FRIENDSHIP.

I how I hope each and everyone who lives finds a this kind of beautiful friendship.

Melissa Ellisor. 

I love you like a sister. 

Thank you for loving me.

And may the bread tie battle rage on.

(these are cell phone pictures from that moment)

(thanks to whoever captured this)