18 -Friends

By Kay Heitsch

It was wonderful having these teenagers stop over. Some came a few times, but others came many times. At the funeral home, I recall several of Todd's classmates mentioning that Todd said I was easy to talk to.

Todd and I had a special relationship. It may have been because we moved frequently due to Bill's job transfers. When Todd was in the 7th grade, he had been in 8 different schools. Todd and I spent a lot of time together, and we talked a lot.

One thing we discussed was how to relate to his classmates in the new school. I remember saying, "You might as well decide you like people right away because if you wait, we may be moving on." I believe this is one reason why many people considered Todd their friend.

Two of Todd's close friends were Susan and Evy. These two girls changed my life forever. These sweet girls rode their bikes over to our house often. We would sit at the kitchen table and talk. We invited Shannon, who was 12, to sit with us, but she wasn't interested. Like I've said, we all grieve differently.

One day, Susan and Evy brought over a cassette tape called Friends by Michael W. Smith. I had never heard of Michael W. Smith. I was shocked that this was Christian music. I listened to this tape several times. I liked it a lot.

Susan and Evy were very caring, loving, and kind. They seemed to relate to me where I was. I wasn't a Christian, but now, by giving me this cassette tape, I could see that they were.

Susan and Evy's loving behavior started to change my way of thinking.