Connected By The Heart

God is good. He places people in our lives for a reason. His plans are perfect, His timing is perfect, He is perfect. I have seen Him work in my life as well as others around me. Four years ago, He gave me another sister-in-Christ. We live thousands of miles apart and only see each other maybe ever 6 months. We text 365 days out of the year and write letters 52 weeks out of the year. Yet we never run out of things to say. We have claimed each other as kindred spirits. Yet we can be like two sides of a coin.We know each other so well that we often forget that we haven't known each other all our lives. Yet there are always new things to discover about one another. She brings out the best of me, lets me be myself, listens and does not judge, comforts and encourages. She has a thousand times over proven her nickname, my Rainbow.

A few weeks ago, I was blessed to visit. After two flights, I headed toward baggage claim to find my friend and her family. I was rather mellow, due to the fact of being up for over 24 hours, with a 30 min nap and 2 1/2 cans of Coke. But the moment I saw her running toward me, her collection of key rings jingling on her backpack, grin wide with excitement, I perked up. I was ready for the 11 days we would have together.

It was a perfect mix of relaxation and activities. We wrote together, napped on the couch, watched movies, made cards, colored, sketched, snuck downstairs for midnight snacks. I bonded with her mom over tea, chocolate, and Hallmarks. We played games with the family. I discussed life as a writer with her older sister (who is wonderful author). Rain, her mom, grandma, and I took a road trip to Nashville, TN to see the Belle Meade Plantation and Parthenon. I got to feel a light snow fall into my hair in April! Rain, her sister, and their mom introduced me to Annie May's Sweet Cafe in Louisville, KY, which was amazing. We drove up to the Henryville overlook where I could see for miles over the darling little town. In the distance you could see the skyscrapers of Louisville. Rain, her mom, dad, and brother, and I walked the Big Four Bridge that stretches from Jeffersonville, IN to Louisville, KY on a Sunday afternoon. In the evenings, Rain and I would read a chapter of Psalms and a chapter of Proverbs and talk for hours until one of us would doze off on the other.

It was an amazing trip. So many beautiful memories were made. We cried our last night together. It is hard not knowing when you will see one another again. Even though we tossed around ideas for the next visit. Nothing is written in stone. Even though we talk everyday through some form of communication it is still hard to not be physically there for one another. Before I left to get on my plane, I hugged Rain and reminded us both that it was not goodbye, but a see you later. No matter how hard I try I can never fully describe the impact Rain has on my life, or the depth of our relationship. There is this warm comfort, a pure honesty, a tender transparency that we both share. It is beautiful. I thank God for her, daily. I pray that everyone has at least one person like this in their life. I have been blessed with several. And I believe it is important to have friends like this. Now I shall end this with a quote, that best describes Rain and I (and I am sure many other friends out there). "Side by side or miles apart, sisters will always be connected by the heart."