Best people

Baby boy is busy singing himself to sleep.

Dear husband surprised us by coming back from work just in time to give baby his bath and put him to bed. That was 2hrs ago. And now the singing has morphed into a little cry. It's a soft quiet like crying so I doubt there's any tears. And since I've already gone in there to, I guess, help soothe him, I'll now wait it out. Not to be selfish or anything bbbbut I ssssure wwwwould lllllike to read my book, so pray with me that he sleeps soon.

Ahhh, fantastic moment of the day was a phone call to my sweet 75yrs old friend, Ronda. She's one of the best people I know! Robert (that's husband) and I were lucky enough to rent from her a few weeks before moving to South Africa. She's just wonderful. The kind of person I'd love to be when rocking the 70s. My dear friend still puts make up on everyday, she enjoys tasteful fashion, she keeps active and has a social life way more active than mine. Husband used to joke about how her calendar put us to shame. She's the kind of person who genuinely cares about people no matter their background and when she says "I love you", I believe it.  She's also incredibly witty and is able to laugh at the physical and mental malfunctions that come with age. Hmmm, maybe malfunction isn't the best word to use here, excuse my vocabulary, it's rather limited lately, hence the binge secondhand book buying that happened earlier this afternoon. Back to the lovely Ronda, oh how l love my friend, she is a beauty. She helps me feel good about everyday life by remembering to focus on what matters most. I love love her. I would cook for her sometimes and today she told me that she still adds spinach to her fried chicken. I used to do that all the time! It's awesome that she remembers little things like that, it makes me feel like she misses me too.

The many reasons I love my friend 1) her love for the Lord 2) her stubborn nature 3) her fierce independence and my absolute favorite 4) the love she has for her late husband. He passed away 6 years ago and she cared for him till the moment he took his last breath. They had been together since she was fourteen. He proposed soon after they met and her reply was "Jimmy, let's at least wait till I'm 16". And sure enough, she turned 16 and married her Jimmy who was I think 2 years older than her. She used to tell me stories about their love, their travels, the babies, their first home, the ups and downs and everything else that makes up a life well lived. A story I think of often was from when they were still engaged. While standing in the kitchen (where we had our best conversations) Ronda held up her textured slender left hand, trying hard to keep it from shaking, she took me back to when she was 16 sitting on the steps of her parents' porch. To a time when her hand was full of vitality and youth, she would hold it up so that the little diamond could catch the sun. And all the while, thinking of her Jimmy.

Even though the diamond was later upgraded, her love for Jimmy remained. Strengthened by the memories they shared.

My good friend Ronda is one of the best people I know.