Reflections From a Country Girl

I have some dear friends I love to visit.  I first met them after they followed us at our church in Bamberg after my husband died and they became the new ministerial family there.  He, like my husband, got very sick while he was there and more than once almost died.  Eventually he made a remarkable recovery and has been cancer free for years now. 

After they retired they moved to Edisto Beach. He loves to shrimp and his wife could care less for it, so we became shrimping and fishing buddies over the next 20 years.  Not that he didn’t have loads of fishing buddies, but we did manage to find some time during each year to go out in the boat at least a couple of times.  I’ll never forget the time we went out one morning when it was so foggy you could not see your hand stretched out in front of you.  

That, actually, was the best shrimping we ever did that day.  

They’ve sold their place at the beach and moved closer to family now. It takes less than an hour for me to get there by car.  

About two months ago my fishing buddy heard news he never wanted to hear again.  He body was about to shut down so he headed straight back to his oncologist who treated him years before.  The news was grim but they decided to fight it with everything they could.  

He goes almost daily for treatments an hour away from their home.  He has had ups and downs, has put things in order as much as possible, and is living his life daily to the fullest possible extent. They are both very brave people and were so glad to make it through Christmas and the holidays to be with their family.    

Right before January, I got an invitation to their “Fishing Buddies Fish Fry” to be held on January 26th.  They only invited fishing buddies and their spouse or significant other.  I marked the calendar and knew I wouldn’t miss it for the world.  

I arrived to see lots of trucks in the yard.  I figured most of the fishing buddies were guys…and, in fact…the truth of the matter is I was the only woman among the buddies…a position I felt most honored to have.  

We visited and had a great time.  The guys were fun to be with. Their wives (all were married but me) were just as delightful and down-to-earth.  It was so good to finally put names and faces together and share that time with all of them.  

Most of us left suspecting we may never fish again with our friend.  Some of us came from as far as six hours away.  The trip was worth it for all of us…one more chance to see our good fishing buddy and his wife.

My wish for you today is that you take the time to visit with friends and reminisce when you can.  Even if you’re young, there is something very comforting in taking the time to enjoy each other’s company.  It makes us all remember that life is precious.  

~ Joellen

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 27th, 2008 at 3:08:pm and is filed under Family/Friends Gatherings, Health, illness, Living Life to the Fullest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.