Today is a tribute to my friend, Kirsten!
Every once in awhile, you meet someone that makes a big impact on you, that is my friend, Kirsten! She is amazing – a great friend, a wonderful mother, involved in the community and full of wisdom. She is one of those people that makes the world a better place.
Two years ago, I heard a family from Belgium with 3 kids was moving in to the house down the street. I was secretly hoping that one of the kids would be a girl my daughter’s age. I still remember the day I met Kirsten and her family. It was a couple of weeks before school started and as I drove down their street, I saw a car with the doors open. I pulled in front just as the mom was unloading. I introduced myself and found out that yes, she had a daughter the same age. We introduced them and my daughter quickly said, “I was new last year, do you want to come over?”
The girls played together really well and my daughter asked if she could have a “Come Meet Emily Party”. Soon we had fifteen 8 year olds running around the house. Then, a few more surprises, the girls would be in the same classroom and they walked to school too! Almost every morning we would meet at the stop sign that joined our two streets and we would walk to school together.
I felt an immediate connection with Emily’s mom, Kirsten! Their was something about her that I was drawn to. I looked forward to the walks home after dropping off the kids at school. It gave us an opportunity to talk and share things that we were dealing with. Some days we would stand on that corner next to the stop sign and talk and lose track of time.
We talked about our our families, our kids, school, books, movies, etc. I soon noticed that when I needed advice or needed to “vent”, that I would look forward to those mornings. Towards the end of the year, they began riding their bikes and the morning walks and meetings at the stop sign were fewer and far between. We both began working more but the stop sign remained. We knew that anytime we needed to talk, share stories or get advice that the stop sign was always there.
I have learned that our stop sign doesn’t always have to be the one that connects our two streets. Our stop signs will now consist of emails, phone calls and hopefully visits to San Francisco. I have learned that building friendships take time and you have to stop your busy life every once in awhile to get to that deeper level of friendship.
I will look at that stop sign in a different way from now on. It will remind me to cherish and value important friendships and relationships. You never know when things might change and if you don’t stop and enjoy every once in awhile, you miss out on a lot!
Image via Wikipedia
Cammie Moise