Friends

by Kay Heitsch

You never know what you do or say that can change a person's life forever.

I'll never forget two teenagers, Evy and Susan, who came to our home often after Todd died. I don't think they ever realized what an impact they had on my life. Todd had been good friends with both of these girls. In fact, Evy and Susan had been with him the night before he died.

Evy and Susan were best friends, and they usually came over to our house together. They even rode their bikes over to the house when the weather was nice. I was always delighted to see them when they'd stop in. We'd sit down at the table in the kitchen and talk. We talked about Todd and other things that were going on in their lives and mine. Shannon would walk in, and we'd invite her to sit with us. Most times, she declined, but she was welcomed. Brandon was around 3 when they started to come over. Quite honestly, I think Brandon had a crush on these two pretty girls.

One day, Susan and Evy brought over a tape they had made me of a song called Friends by Michael W Smith. I was moved by this song even though I wasn't a Christian at the time. For one thing, I was surprised that Christian music was anything other than some kind of choir music or hymns. I could relate to this music, and I loved this song.

Evy and Susan were just themselves. They showed me love and acceptance. I started to see that they were Christians, but somehow they were unlike other Christians I had encountered in the past. I felt comfortable and accepted for who I was around them.

It's hard to explain, but I can now say that these two girls were a big part of my spiritual journey. I doubt that they even realized how much they impacted my life by allowing God to show me His love through them.