I have a friend

I have this friend. I haven't seen her in a almost a decade.  I have a special place in my heart for this friend because she pursued me in friendship when I was single and felt alone. She and her husband allowed me to hang with their, then small family and affectionately referred to me as "Mindy B". She, on one occasion way back in 1995, took me to coffee and lovingly confronted me when I was a psycho after taking Phen-phen for a month and shared her concern for me. They invited me to come work at a camp with them in Idaho, when I was broken hearted over a dumb boy and a dumb trip to see him. She, her daughter, and her 1st son were all in my wedding in 1999 when she was 7 months pregnant and both kids were 2 and 4. I, at the time, could not appreciate how much work that was for her....yet, she did it. I will always remember and be thankful for her and her love for me, then. She is a follower of Christ, a genuine friend, an amazing mom and wife and a thought-provoking writer. I miss her. I wish we lived closer. I may have to buy a ticket to Washington to see her. 


My friend recently started a blog. It is called Enduring and After, here is the link. It's about hers and her husbands journey over a decade. Here is an excerpt:

"…welcome to enduring and after. A blog about going 

through hard things and getting your life back together afterward.

For us, it was prescription drug addiction and all the mess that accompanies it.

My husband, Dave, battled with addiction to tramadol (Ultram) for almost a decade 

before he — and I — hit rock bottom."

Hard, painful and humbling circumstances can happen to each of us. It can happen gradually over time or in what I like to call a "short 5 seconds of stupid".  I know of a few close friends who are re-examining their life and saying..."how did I get here?" The best part of the story for this particular friend is that they are on the other side of it and they are still together, faithful to God, wiser and stronger. The sad part is that many others are still wrestling with addiction, their lives are off track and some lives are falling apart. I've seen at least one friend die from giving in to this.  If you, a family member or know of friend who may be struggling in this way...maybe you can find some comfort and encouragement from my friend. 


PS. Speaking of second chances and new beginnings..Remember my little bird's nest with the babies who had died. There is a new nest and a new egg. Just awesome.