Happy Birthday, Cheryl!

It's always an honor to recognize Cheryl on this blog and today - her birthday - is extra special. What an incredible friend she is! She and I often fear that others get tired of hearing about this friendship but we can't seem to shut up. It's a rare combination of mutual interests, uncanny similarities and divine intervention.

When we met 14 1/2 years ago at a grief seminar we had no idea that God had brought us there for a special reason. Of course we connected on the grief level since we both lost our Polish husbands to cancer. But often as healing begins, the need for a crutch lessens as we learn to stand on our own two feet. That was not the case for Cheryl and me. Oh, we are finally standing, but we are still standing together.

Our marriages to our Polish Princes were so ideal that God stepped in to fill the void that was left. He knew we needed someone who understood, someone who fit so well, someone who was loyal, and sincere, and devoted for a lifetime. He pulled us together not only through our grief, but by revealing a rush of things we had in common. Those commonalities broke the ice between us.

I wish to honor my buddy today on her birthday for the wonderful person she is. This may sound very selfish on my part but I love Cheryl because she listens to me with both ears and with rapt attention. She's sad when I'm sad. She rejoices when something good comes my way. Her heart breaks when mine breaks, whether it be over a crisis at work or within my family. She's adopted my children and loved them like her own. And she's always close by, either by phone, email, or the messenger. I know and Cheryl knows, that we are never alone with our joys or our hurts.

I love Cheryl's sense of humor and how we laugh so hard when we are together. I love her sensitivity and the tears that are always in her eyes when I drop her off at the airport. I admire her courage as she daily deals with glaucoma and the regimen of eyedrops and surgeries. I respect her glowing character and giving nature. Her powerful connection to God has rescued me from the dark pit of despair many, many times. I know my buddy is in prayer for me daily and I love her the most for that.

Happy birthday, BB. May the year ahead be filled with all the happiness, joy, and rewards that you have so graciously brought into my own life. You continue to be my anchor, my lifeline, and I feel incredibly honored to call you friend. I love you, girlfriend.