In Honor of My Like-A-Sister Friend, Susan

            In Honor of My Like-A-Sister Friend, Susan

Sometimes, I think Susan and I are more sisters than just friends, even though we come from a different set of parents. We both lived in south FL as little girls (about a decades’ difference in time yet only a few miles apart in distance.)  Our moms were both nurses with a lot of personal struggles. We were both abandoned with a babysitter as young children. I lived with my grandparents for a year or so. Susan with an older couple who loved her like their own for five years. We both lived in NC (about a decade apart) when we were about twelve years old.

 

We never met as kids. But when our kids were young. about twenty-five years ago, we were both homeschooling and one day we decided to take the kids ice-skating (that was gym and a field trip combined. Hahaha!) I think we talked for three hours while the kids skated. Between us we have ten children -five each!

We worked together for two separate ministries. First, at Shadyrest Bible Church, Susan was my husband’s secretary and the office administrator. I was the camp director. We were complete opposites in many ways. Kind of funny that she did the bookkeeping in the office, and I was directing the camp. I was the math person. She was the creative one. Susan was funny. I was serious.  It worked well for camp entertainment as I attempted to “seriously” present the camp to adults while she played “Susie Camper” and “Grandpa Snazzy” at various events. We were definitely a team. I took care of the program details. She made it fun!

 

After working at Camp Shadyrest with both our kids growing up there first as campers then as counselors, we both taught high school at Baptist High in Haddon Heights, NJ. Susan taught English. I taught accounting. If I remember correctly she started teaching one year before me and then left one year before me. Susan and her husband, Garey, attended both of the churches in NJ where my husband has served as pastor. They led our worship in both churches, and Garey taught my kids a lot about playing music with a band. A few years ago, Garey and Susan moved to NC. I felt like I lost my like-a-sister friend..but you don’t lose friends who are like-a-sister friends. Susan and I have remained close through the years in spite of the miles that separate us. I miss getting together for lunch, serving in ministry together, girl talks late into the night at conferences, and having Susan in the same town only a few miles away. I miss our Cape May weekends with some other very special like-a-sister friends, Carol, Lisa, and Marcia.

I won’t even attempt to explain Susan’s acting abilities at the Thomas Kinkade Gallery in Cape May, or Lisa’s “tattoo”, or the Dorito’s incident at Sunset Beach. I miss having Susan close by when I need  a friend to talk to. In reality though, nothing hasn’t really changed. Susan continues to be a faithful friend across the miles. We have laughed together, cried together, prayed for each other’s kids. In fact, I think we spend more “quality” time together now than when we lived in the same town. We’ve had some fun times visiting each other over the past few years, including my daughter’s wedding, her daughter’s baby shower, a “quiet” day at the beach, when the city of Ventnor decided to use heavy equipment to rebuild the shore line on the only day we had to go to the beach! We managed to talk above the noise!

Oh, yes, visiting Nicholas Sparks‘ hometown, in New Bern, NC, where we walked into the quaint historic Mitchell Hardware store, missing Sparks’ wife by only a few minutes. We also visited some incredible historical sites including Christ Church and the Birthplace of Pepsi Cola.

The last time Susan visited NJ, after eating lunch at Zoe’s we just had to stop at Carlo’s Bakery for lobster claws. We both ordered two desserts, since we wanted the lobster claws but wanted something else, too, making our dessert more expensive than our lunch! We ate half  of each dessert at the bakery. Came home, talked, talked, talked…then made some coffee and proceeded to finish our second dessert…Then we talked some more.

I love this very special lady, my very close like-a-sister friend.  I am so blessed to have Susan in my life. If you have a forever friend that is more like a sister than just a friend, you, too, are indeed blessed! Take a few minutes to thank God for her and pray for her today. Then, post a comment letting us know how special she is to you!

Tomorrow, we will see Susan’s nomination for a Woman of Wisdom, who made a difference in her young life, when her family moved to CA.