Souvenirs From Paradise - Part 3 - Jody Williams

Today, it's my turn to write about my best friend, Jody Williams. As I mentioned before the Bahamas had a ton to choose from, but weeding out the junk and finding something within budget made this idea quite the adventure. If I didn't have a budget, I would have gotten Jody a "knock off" coach purse, plain and simple, but my budget was a lot lower than that :( Shopping for Jody was easy. I knew I wanted to buy her some form of accessory because she is so great at accessorizing. Be it a belt, a pair earrings, a hat, a watch, or a necklace, Jody wears them with style. I searched for a while because not everything the Bahamians sell is homemade. One of my stipulations was that the souvenir had to be handmade. Darren and I walked onto a little side street and into a store that was playing some heavy gospel music. That was my first "Q" that this was the store I would be buying Jody something from. The entire store was filled with accessories. PERFECT! The gospel music reminded me even more of her because her hubby is the youth pastor of our church and she sings in the choir. LOL! I searched high and low and finally found a homemade necklace that was strung with several layers of white beads and on it hung a genuine, beautiful yet simple, nice sized seashell (again all characteristics that represent my Jodster). I envisioned Jody wearing it and it "looked" so stunning on her, so that's what I decided on.

My Dearest Jody,

When I think of you, I think of the chorus to the song, "You are my sunshine!"

Listen,"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away!"

The friendship we share is so incredible. In some ways, or even so many ways, we are total opposites of each other. You have a type B personality. I have a type A personality. Your mom and dad are married. Mine are divorced several times. You are simple. I am high maintenance. You sleep in. I wake up early. The list is more extensive than that, but you get the point. The reason I love that we are so opposite, in some ways, is that you give me a new perspective on life.

When I first laid eyes on you, I remember not paying an ounce of attention to what was going on in Bible Study. Instead, I was thinking, I'll be friends with her before long. :) There was two problems with that... 1. I wasn't paying attention to Bible Study. LOL! 2. I was basing that desire solely on your outward appearance. I had no clue who you were, but you looked like the type of person I would be friends with. Remember, those were my pre-saved days.

It wasn't long (maybe a full year to a year and a half, right?) before we did become the best of friends. Sadly to say, it's hard to recall when or where the friendship started flourishing, but I'm glad it did. Since then, I have met my "twin" in many ways. We both love the LORD. We both love to BLAB! We both love to shop (although you have put a huge halt to this aspect in your life), we both love to dress up our little girls, we love spending time with our family, etc. etc. etc. This list is also endless.

Back to the chorus of that song... You are my sunshine. You are so good at recognizing when I am having a difficult day or maybe even a difficult week. You are genuinely concerned and when you check up on me, you brighten my day like the warm sun brightens a gloomy day for the earth!!! You make me happy when my days are grey. Thankfully, it's not that often, but you stick with me. Never turning away or getting frustrated.

You're genuine. You are one of those friends that you know is going no where. You aren't a back stabber. You love hard. Your heart is focused on keeping the friendship REAL. You forgive easily. You're patient. You're beautiful. My mom used to always say, "It's not what's on the outside that counts, but it's what's on the inside that matters!" You're beautiful on the inside and on the outside. I LOVE that you are willing to go out without make-up on. You shine and your beauty is still ever present because your "inside" is insanely joyful and kind. The beauty you contain on the outside is just added bonus. You're simple. You go with the flow. You're a great listener. You're compassionate. You're ALWAYS joyful. Never have I seen you in a bad mood. Do you ever get in one? YOU ARE FUN. You are the BIGGEST FEMALE KID I know. You're NEVER afraid to let your hair down. This is something I can grow leaps and bounds witnessing from you. You revert all of my life trials back to scripture and help me to see them from the biblical standpoint that I should. YOU LOVE MY KIDS and MY KIDS love you back. This is a huge perk. Often times friends just tolerate other people's children, but you love them with the same motherly love that I do. We can talk for hours on end about nothing. My favorite memory with you, to date, is talking with you, in my driveway, for over 2 hours, after leaving a date with our "Sensational 6".

I thank God that he has placed you in my life for an abundance of reasons. It brings me comfort and stability to know you are someone who will never allow drama to enter into our friendship, causing a long lasting friendship. I always wanted have a friend who's husband was also close with my husband. I love how Darren and Brett mess really well together and have their own special bond. What a gift God has granted to both of our families that we all love each other and that our friendship can be enjoyed with or without our husbands/children. You're the closest thing to a sister I have ever known. Unfortunately/fortunately, I feel closer to you than any of my sisters and it provides me with what I am lacking in the relationship I have/don't have with my blood siblings.

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!