If there is one thing I have learned in living over half a century, there are times when we cannot stand strong without friendships and there are times when we must stand strong alone, yet because of those friendships we are able to move forward.
Sherrie Magruder was one of those true friends who understood that to be my friend meant many weeks in the spotlight of my column in this newspaper. And if she happened to miss such a highlight, a friend or family member was more than happy to pass along my latest tale that included our crazy antics.
I went to Sherrie's home the day before her funeral to pick several cuttings from her yard in order to share one of the highlights of her life. I clipped many things from my yard first, most of which had been given to me by her for one son's wedding after another. My orange amaryllis I dug from outside the porch where we spent hours laughing and solving the problems of the world blooms outside my office window as I write.
Proverbs 27:9 reads "Just as lotion and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul." Sherrie was everything a true friend is called upon to be. During the last 21 days of her life at least 50 women came in and out of her house delivering food, hugs, hope, peace and mostly love. All of this gladly given in return for her precious friendship over the years.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 tells us, "Two people are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help." A true beauty in Christian friendship is having that friend to stand with, to stand up for, to stand behind and to lean on in dark days. These past years had brought many dark days, and yet I have watched God move. Once again, sweet Sherrie needs to get ready for my columns. My dear friend will be hanging around with me for many years as she surfaces time and again in my work.
I woke up around 5:00 a.m. the morning Sherrie passed to heaven and a very peaceful knowing washed over me. I woke my husband and told him I thought she had passed, and he said, "I'm sure she has. It's going to be ok." That’s something we say to our loved ones when we really have nothing else to come up with to remedy the hurt or confusion. And yet, they are great words that offer pages of unspoken comfort from one loved one to another.
As painful as this is for our fragile hearts, it is also renewing and refreshing to be reminded that it is indeed life that reigns in eternity, that this time we share with each other on earth is just the short beginning of an eternal life that Christ promises. Losing my sweet friend is not beyond finding her again. We will find Sherrie again right where she belongs…where we all belong. Christ promises us our grief will always turn into joy.
Until that time the friendships we experience in this life are but a glimpse of this joy we get to experience on earth. This column is compiled of some of the writings I read at her funeral because I knew it would make her smile to share this while also encouraging all readers to value their friendships as Christians.
Until the day I see Sherrie again, I will celebrate every bloom that pops up in my yard in every season of life. Isabel Allende was quoted as saying, "True friendship resists time, distance, and silence." Friendship is one of the greatest gifts we are offered to navigate this brief journey. Thank you, Sherrie. Having you as my sidekick was priceless!
