Robertson Tribe Updates

As I’ve mentioned before, the handful of friends we’ve made since moving here is dwindling at an alarming rate.  July and August will be tough months as that’s when most of the families are leaving.

However, I want to clarify something.  Not all my friends are leaving.  Beth, my best buddy over here, is staying put.  If she ever leaves me, I will hunt her down.  She knows this and chooses to stay, living in fear of me.  I am just SURE that’s the reason she’s still here.

Actually, I do not know why she puts up with me.  I really am a pest.  I call her almost daily with some sort of question.  We’ve turned it into a joke now.  I call and say, “Hello, information?”  She will say, “Yes, the information line is open.  For directions, please press one.  For craft instruction, press two.  For cooking related emergencies, press three….”  We laugh, and then I ask my question, because it seems like I ALWAYS.HAVE.ONE.  She would doubt it was actually me if I didn’t ask her a question.  Not only is she my information line, she comes to my rescue when I have to take R to the orthodontist and hubby is in China.  That means I have to take all the children to the “scary” island, riding the trains, etc with the whole gang.  She holds my hand the whole way, showing me what to do.    She’s my cheerleader, challenging me to go places and do things by myself.  She brings her car over so I can make a trip to the Salvation Army with all my donations so I don’t have to make thirteen trips, carrying it all on my back and in my hands (with all the children).  She babysits for my children when my Bible study starts (no nursery) and hubby is in China.  She listens to me tell stories of my day and understands in a way that only someone that lives here can.  There is so much I can’t share with those in the US…it gets lost in the translation.  She has a great listening ear.  She trusts me to watch her little one, feeling confident I can keep K alive while she’s with me.  (She doesn’t know I used to have more children and that I’m down to four….tee hee…KIDDING, people!!!)She challenges me to set goals and then <gulp> she asks me if I DID it.  (SHEESH!!)  She is the best.  And I thank the Lord He put us together.  I can’t imagine being here without her.

Beth, I know you’re reading this.  (She’s also a faithful blog reader).  I got an e-mail about friendship from a special far away friend and wanted to share it with you.  I personalized it just a bit, to fit you and I more specifically.  It expresses how I feel about you…

Are you tired of those sissy ‘friendship’ poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality?

Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.

You will see no cutesy little smiley faces here,  just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.

1.  When you are sad –I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on the “real deal” coke.

2.  When you are blue — I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3.  When you smile — I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you are worried — I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.

5.  When you are confused — I will use little words.

6. When you are sick — Stay away from me (and my children) until you are well again.  I don’t want whatever you have.

7.  This is my oath…. I pledge it to the end. ‘Why?’ you may ask;  ‘because you are my friend’.

P.S.  Go to http://proclaiming-peace.blogspot.com/ to meet Beth.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 26th, 2008 at 4:23 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.