In less than three days, my buddy, my friend, the “Lucy” to my “Ethel,” will be coming for a visit. We haven’t seen each other in over 2 ½ years since she and her family moved 1000 miles away. To say I’m ecstatic is an understatement!
When Karen and I first met more than five years ago, our friendship was instantaneous. I’ll never forget: We both had volunteered to assist with our children’s pre-school consignment sale. I saw this tall, vivacious woman with an easy smile walk in, talking to everyone and cracking jokes. After a while, she and I were working in the same area and we continued to talk, commiserating on the joys and woes of motherhood. We hit it off right away. After a while, she said: “You know what? I like you. I want us to be friends.”
And from that day on, we were inseparable. Karen and her kids and my kids and I were together almost every day: day trips to the zoo, playground, swimming pools, shopping, dance classes, endless trips to Wal-mart, etc… and in between, laughter (a lot!) and wine (a lot!).
Karen is pretty exceptional. She’s smart, attractive, an excellent wife and mother, and incredibly crafty (Martha Stewart has nothing on her!). She can decorate, create, paint and design anything. She truly has a keen eye for detail, style and design. If you find yourself eyeing something in a home decor store, she’ll say, “Don’t spend the money. I can make that for you.” I keep asking her when she’s going to host her own show on HGTV so I can serve as her publicist.
She can also entertain like nobody’s business and is the consummate hostess. She can host a lavish dinner at her home without breaking a sweat, or she can walk to her fridge, pull out a few items and cook a meal from scratch that tastes like something out of a restaurant. Oh, and did I mention that her home is always immaculate and organized?! I’ll tell you, if I didn’t love her so much, I’d be totally disgusted with her. 🙂
But what really makes her unique is her heart. Karen is, hands down, one of the kindest, most generous people I’ve ever met. She will go above and beyond to help ANYONE in need. If you’re fortunate enough to be in her inner circle, you’ve got it made, because you have an angel on your side for life. But even for those who don’t know her well or only encounter her once or twice, she will make you wonder what you did in your life to be in the midst of such kindness and grace. And that’s why I love her.
Watching Karen and her family drive away over two years ago was difficult. But between texting, Facebook, emails and phone calls, we keep each other abreast of our children’s activities and what we’ve been up to. But, of course, it’s not the same.
But now that she’s coming for a visit, I’m looking forward to laughing until my side hurts, talking and sipping wine into the wee hours of the morning … and silently sobbing when she and her beautiful family drives away.
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