(Monday, February 15, 2010)
“A Century of Friendship”
Faith, Family, Friends. A friend (by definition) “is a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.”
I am blessed by my friends. Friends from church, from work, from the neighborhood. I even have friends that I have never met personally – such as new friends I’ve made through the blog.
I also have some friends that have been friends for a long time. Thom and Chobee are those types of friends. I have known each of them for about 50 years – so together I have a century of friendship with the two of them. Thom and I met as very young children at West Flagler Park Baptist Church in Miami. We were baptized the same day when we were 10 years old. Chobee joined West Flagler Park just a couple of years later and he and I went to junior high, high school, college and law school together. Unfortunately, over time and with our work and families, we have not been able to be together very often. They both live in Volusia County where Thom pastors a church and Chobee practices law. Unfortunately, for too many years, our contact has been limited to Christmas cards, occasional phone calls, and the rare personal visits.
When they learned about my diagnosis, they called to talk and to encourage.
Last Saturday, they made a road trip to Clearwater to visit us before I go into the hospital.
We had 12 people for lunch on Saturday. It was so much fun – it cheered my heart. We talked, ate and reminisced. But mostly we laughed. We told stories about each other. (When your history goes back 50 years, you have stories to tell, and some that you don’t tell.)
We remembered a Sunday school teacher that used a flannel board to teach us Bible stories. We remembered a chalk artist that came to church during a revival who obviously made an impression on us. We were all active in the youth group, even leading several youth revival meetings in South Florida. We talked about the people who influenced us during those years. We all agreed that we were blessed by that church. It became our extended family.
Since we all went to the same junior high school and high school, there were also lots of school stories. I have always told my children about the very rough junior high school I attended (lots of gang activity, fights, police). (I know, it sounds a lot like walking up hill to and from school and through the snow and sleet, etc.) But Thom and Chobee confirmed it all. We also talked about the incredible change when we went to high school – which was a wonderful experience.
Before they left, Thom and Chobee and I went into my office and they prayed with me and for me. We told each other that we loved each other. They assured me that they are only a phone call away if anything is needed.
Friends – they go real well with faith and family. “Nasty little diseases” – I think you are in real trouble. I have some great allies fighting with me.
Thom, Bob, and Chobee
Faith, Family, Friends. A friend (by definition) “is a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.”
I am blessed by my friends. Friends from church, from work, from the neighborhood. I even have friends that I have never met personally – such as new friends I’ve made through the blog.
I also have some friends that have been friends for a long time. Thom and Chobee are those types of friends. I have known each of them for about 50 years – so together I have a century of friendship with the two of them. Thom and I met as very young children at West Flagler Park Baptist Church in Miami. We were baptized the same day when we were 10 years old. Chobee joined West Flagler Park just a couple of years later and he and I went to junior high, high school, college and law school together. Unfortunately, over time and with our work and families, we have not been able to be together very often. They both live in Volusia County where Thom pastors a church and Chobee practices law. Unfortunately, for too many years, our contact has been limited to Christmas cards, occasional phone calls, and the rare personal visits.
When they learned about my diagnosis, they called to talk and to encourage.
Last Saturday, they made a road trip to Clearwater to visit us before I go into the hospital.
We had 12 people for lunch on Saturday. It was so much fun – it cheered my heart. We talked, ate and reminisced. But mostly we laughed. We told stories about each other. (When your history goes back 50 years, you have stories to tell, and some that you don’t tell.)
We remembered a Sunday school teacher that used a flannel board to teach us Bible stories. We remembered a chalk artist that came to church during a revival who obviously made an impression on us. We were all active in the youth group, even leading several youth revival meetings in South Florida. We talked about the people who influenced us during those years. We all agreed that we were blessed by that church. It became our extended family.
Since we all went to the same junior high school and high school, there were also lots of school stories. I have always told my children about the very rough junior high school I attended (lots of gang activity, fights, police). (I know, it sounds a lot like walking up hill to and from school and through the snow and sleet, etc.) But Thom and Chobee confirmed it all. We also talked about the incredible change when we went to high school – which was a wonderful experience.
Before they left, Thom and Chobee and I went into my office and they prayed with me and for me. We told each other that we loved each other. They assured me that they are only a phone call away if anything is needed.
Friends – they go real well with faith and family. “Nasty little diseases” – I think you are in real trouble. I have some great allies fighting with me.
Thom, Bob, and Chobee
Comments
Take care and keep posting; we love you to share with us.
Ted & Carol W