FOREVER FRIENDS

Some posts are just purely FUN to write. This is one of them.

It is such a joy to take a few minutes to tell you about two women who have blessed my life for many years. We call ourselves Forever Friends. I think Kay actually coined the phrase many years ago - long before "BFF" was known in the texting and internet world.

Forever Friends are friends you may not see every day - sometimes not for months or years - but when you DO see them, you instantly pick right back up where you left off. Kay Martin and Sandra Ray have been those kind of friends to me. And because of the bond we share in Christ Jesus, we are assured we will definitely be FOREVER Friends - even sharing eternity together.

I write today to say: WELCOME TO THE BLOGOSPHERE, KAY and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW, SANDRA.

As I sit here at my keyboard thinking of them this morning, I can't wipe the big grin off my face. I have more wonderful memories attached to these two women than I could ever recount. But I have very few PHOTOS. Sadly, before the digital age we just didn't take pictures like we do today. Most of the pictures below are ones I scanned from old church directories.

We attended Harrisburg Baptist Church together for many years. Kay and Sandra are still serving the Lord there. I left in 1988 to join another local church where God led me but I still love HBC dearly and feel such a connection with believers there. These are pictures of our three families from the 1988 Harrisburg directory.

The Martins - Kay with the love of her life, Eddie, who she married when she was only 18 years old. Their children, Paula and Brent.
Paula is actually how Kay and I met. Paula was in my Sunday School class when she was in 8th grade and I adored her. She had been sick, missed a considerable amount of school, and had a teacher who was not being very cooperative about allowing her time to make up her work. I ran into Kay one morning at the church and asked how Paula was. Kay was on her way to the school to meet with this teacher and asked me to pray for her. I did and God knit our hearts together on the spot! There has not been a time since that Kay has not held a very special place in my heart and life.

The Ray's. This is Sandra and Larry with their youngest of three, Heather. I think the two older boys, Greg and Grant were away in college when these pictures were made. Is Sandra not one of the most stunningly gorgeous women you've ever seen? She'll wring my neck for saying that but she always was and still IS. The thing about Sandra, though - her considerable outward beauty absolutely pales when compared to her inner beauty! Anyone who knows her will agree with that!

This is my family in 1988. Don'cha wish I could have found an optomitrist that would have sold me larger glasses so they could have covered my whole face instead of just half of it?? ROFL

Our oldest daughter, Lori, was already married by the time this picture was taken and only John and Lisa were still at home. My Lisa and Sandra's Heather graduated from high school together.

This (also from the church directory) is Sandra teaching her girls' SS class in 1983. Doesn't her face say it all? She always had such genuine love for the children she taught and such genuine love for what she was teaching them. She has always had such a vivacious spirit!

This is me teaching youth SS that same year. For you Harrisburgers - that's Teri Green on the left and Dana Duncan Long on the right! That was their senior year. And my daughter, Lori's too. What a great group. Jona Rae Coggins Collums and Jerilynn McGill Billingsley were in this group too. So many other precious girls ... what memories.

Kay and I team-taught high school juniors a couple of years. I'll never forget one Sunday when she and Eddie had gone to a convention in Las Vegas. Some of the girls in the class asked where Mrs. Martin was that Sunday and I quipped, "Oh girls, she's in Las Vegas today - probably laying drunk in some casino." Kay just about had a heart attack when she found out I'd said such an outlandish thing. It's probably not the first time I've ever embarrassed her. And I'm betting it won't be the last!


Kay's daughter, Paula was the first of our children to marry and Kay, the most superb seamstress I have ever known in my life (and, trust me, I come from a LONG line of outstanding seamstresses so that's SAYING something!) made Paula's wedding gown. But you know what she did, she saved one part of it ... making tiny little satin bows that would go all the way around the hem and train ... and let Sandra and me help her sew them onto the dress so we would have a special part of Paula's big day. What fun the three of us had that day gathered around Kay's table!

When my oldest daughter married in 1986, Kay and Sandra both had weekly household help. I did not. As time for the wedding approached and I was anticipating lots of out of town family, and feeling panicky about how much I had to do, both of them offered to let me use their housekeeper's services to get my house ready. I didn't feel like I could afford the expense and declined their sweet offers. So guess what those two wonder women did .... They showed up at my house THEMSELVES and washed my windows and did all sorts of other cleaning jobs to help me get my house ready for my company. Now - I ask you - are those friends or are those FRIENDS????

I was the first of the three of us to become a grandmother. Today I have 8 children, Kay has 4, and Sandra has 5. We are SO blessed!

I remember the day I found out I was going to be a grandmother. I had a terrible case of laryngitis. I called Kay and squeaked out, "Kay, guess what - I'm going to be a grandmother!!" To which, my forever friend replied, "Who is this?" When I hung up with Kay I called Sandra and once again excitedly squeaked out, "Sandra, guess what - I'm going to be a grandmother!!" What did my OTHER forever friend reply? You got it. "Who is this?" What a hoot! Even your forever friends don't know you when you sound like a squeaky frog!

This is Sandra and Kay, May 31, 1989 at my house, duly gushing over my six day old first-born grandchild, Mallory.

To my Forever Friend, Kay - Today I say Welcome to the world of Bloggers. Kay has been writing a weekly devotional for her Sunday School class (distributed thru email) for some time but has just launched it into the blog world this week with her new blog: Kay's Ponderings.
Kay is a gifted writer and masterful teacher. She has written Bible studies for her SS class for years and has had several of her devotionals published in Southern Baptist publications. She has a heart for God and a desire to teach and disciple others like few people I've ever known.

From the bottom of my heart - and with ALL my heart - I can honestly say I have never known anyone who has had a more steadfast and consistent walk with the Lord throughout their life. Kay is one of the most beautiful examples of what it means to love God with all your heart, strength and mind to be found on this planet today. Her life's testimony of faithfulness to God, His word and His call on her life is a standard of excellence few will ever achieve.

She has been "iron sharpening iron" for me many times. She has been the cheerleader on the sidelines, encouraging me on when I didn't think I could make the finish line. She has been one whose prayers - consistent, faithful prayers - for me and my whole family I have been able to count on for YEARS. There's no way to measure the kind of blessing her friendship is!

So - Welcome to the Blog World my precious forever friend. May you be as blessed in sharing as we who partake of your godly wisdom are in reading!

This is Kay at Harrisburg last month with author, singer, songwriter and speaker, Kelly Minter.


To my Forever Friend, Sandra - HAPPY BIRTHDAY tomorrow, sweet thing!

There are some years that there is simply more to celebrate on birthdays than other years. This is one of them. Sandra was diagnosed with breast cancer last month and two weeks ago had a bilateral mastectomy. But, oh how we are celebrating God's goodness and assurance that she is now cancer free and will remain so. She has a prognosis so good that the doctor's are not even recommending any additional treatment! Hallelujah!!

Sandra's daughter, Heather, wrote the most beautiful post about her mother on her blog . If you haven't read it, click here. Can you just imagine having your daughter write of you "My mother EXUDES Jesus!" ??? I mean, can you? Really? It gives new meaning to Proverbs 31:28 which says "Her children arise up and call her blessed." But it is 100% fitting for Sandra Louise Oliver Ray!! I can say nothing more than AMEN to what Heather wrote. Sandra KNOWS Jesus. Sandra BREATHES Jesus. Sandra EXUDES Jesus. You can look at her and see HIM all over her!

This is Sandra and Larry with their adult children and their grandchildren in 2007.

Sandra has been a friend who has been there for me through good times and bad - encouraging, loving and praying for me. She's the first person who ever told me I needed to write a book. And it wasn't just something she said to make me feel good. It was something she really believed. When Sandra really believes in something she can be ... well, how do I put this .... a little bit assertive about it - translate that - "bossy" (and I mean that in the sweetest sort of way - GRIN). She gave me a beautiful paisley journal YEARS ago and said, "Here - this is for you to write your first book in - and you better not use it for anything else." I still have the journal, Sandra - and the pages are still blank. LOL

Sandra is the only friend I have that we can both talk at the same time and both understand what the other is saying. What a riot! When Kay lived in Jackson for a few years and we would travel down there to see her, Sandra and I would both just about have a sore throat from talking so much by the time we'd get back to Tupelo! What fun!

After the past several years of rarely seeing these two Forever Friends - not because of distance - but just because of the pace and different paths of life - God opened an opportunity a few weeks ago for me to once again be involved in a weekly Bible study with these special ladies. My cup of joy overflows!

Kay - Sandra - you are two of the dearest people on earth to me. I love you more than I have words to express and thank God on every remembrance of you. (Okay - I was grinning ear to ear when I started writing this post and now I'm bawling my eyes out!) Your love and influence in my life are of immeasurable worth. May God continue to bless you both exceedingly abundantly above all you ask or think!