If We Were Friends

Dear Kate,

If we were friends, I would have been with you last night. Sitting on the couch together, with tissues and chocolate and tortilla chips laughing at how cute the kids were and crying over the hard parts. I would email you funny jokes to make you laugh or at least smile, and call you to tell you I was in dire need of some window shopping just to get you out of the house and your mind off the events of your life.

If we were friends, I would listen, and listen, and listen. Over cups of hot coffee we’d hide from the camera lens and talk about being moms and the economy and how hard and wonderful life can be all at the same time. I would compliment you on how well you maintain under pressure; what a good job you did picking just the right words to say to an audience who had no business knowing your business and yet expects to know anyway. I would cry with you and shake my head and cry some more, with you and for you.

If we were friends I would not say what you want to hear, but share truth with you. I would point out another way to look at things, and remind you of the good times. Of the why’s of commitments made long ago. I would tell you hard words, but with love and compassion, as one who needs to be reminded too and is surely not above finding myself in the exact same position if circumstances were different.

If we were friends I would pray with you. And pray for you. And pray for your kids. And pray for him. For healing. For hope. For reconciliation. Even if you told me not to. And if we were friends, I’d ask, I’d hope, you would pray for me too. Because we all need prayer. I would tell you that you are loved and cherished and are never alone. Even when you feel lonely. Because you have a heavenly spiritual Husband who knows, who cares, who sees, and who loves, beyond and above our imaginations, who counts your tears and treasures them as priceless, and yet knows the painful price of each drop.

Oh how I wish we were friends. But since we’ve never met, and probably never will, I will pray for you. And pray that you have some good girl friends to walk with you through this difficult journey.

Your friend,

~Jody