Thoughtful Thursday -- My New Friend

I had a wonderful lunch today with a new friend.  We had such a good time visiting, neither one of us wanted to leave ... even though it was cold in the restaurant and we were both freezing!  We sat and talked for nearly two hours.

My new friend has an interesting job.  She works in a nice office and spends her time calling insurance companies and inviting them to participate in webinars that her company produces.  Spending so much time on the phone, she has all kinds of interesting conversations with people.  Some folks are not very receptive to her calls, either politely declining, simply hanging up on her, or occasionally cursing at her.  Some sign up for the webinars, and others are just happy to have someone to talk to, keeping her on the line for probably much longer than she's supposed to chat.  She had some really entertaining stories about what these folks had to say to her.

My new friend is also in the process of setting up her first household, and learning how to grocery shop and cook for her husband.  She talked about having her in-laws over for dinner for the first time a couple of nights ago, and how proud she was that her dinner turned out well.  We exchanged recipes and talked about her favorite place to grocery shop.

My new friend talked about how much she's looking forward to becoming a mother someday.  She laughed about how her husband wants them to have two boys, and is even already praying for those two boys, even though she really wants to have two girls.  Of course, she and her husband are both still in college, so she knows those babies, whether they're boys or girls, are still a few years away.

My new friend has a strong faith in God, honed and strengthened by suffering and sorrow.  She is young, but she has experienced more in her life than many adults.  Yet she has a joy that radiates from deep inside.

My new friend is beautiful, intelligent, talented, and charming.  I love spending time with her.

I've actually known my new friend for a little over nineteen years.  But until she got married about a month ago, I knew her as ... my daughter.

It's amazing how quickly our relationship has changed.  And I'm enjoying every minute of it.

This is the type of relationship I've been so sad about missing with Hannah.  In a way, having this kind of friendship with Bethany now makes me miss Hannah even more.  But at the same time, I think the fact that I did not have this opportunity with Hannah makes me appreciate what I have with Bethany more than I ever would otherwise.  And for that, I am very thankful.

I can't wait until my next lunch date with my new friend.  :-)