When I had the idea to
write a post for February and Valentine's Day, I thought about writing about my
best friend and our friendship. Sure, there are many stories out there
about love and kisses and Valentine wishes but I think best friends are
important 'loves' in our lives, and I would like to tell you about mine.
Let
me introduce you to my best friend, Roxie.
How
did she and I become best friends? What exactly makes a best friend?
Let
me tell you a bit about Roxie.
We have known one
another since kindergarten. We went to the same grade school, junior high and
high school together, and we were in Brownies together.
In our freshman year in
junior high school we were in the same group of 5 friends. We all stayed
friends through high school. Other friends would become a part of the group,
for a season, then they would move on but we 5 remained tight ...... until
boyfriends came into the picture. Ha!
I remember well when the
five us went to Gibson's retail store to get our picture taken. Little did I
know at the time that this picture would hold so many great
memories. Makes me wish to go back and live it one more time.
I can't remember a time
when Roxie and I weren't friends, although it wasn't until after high school
that we became best friends. We both married really
young. Both of us were just 18 years old, babes just out of high school.
We spent so much time together those first years of being new wives and then
mothers. We drank gallons of iced tea and ate peanut butter toast for our
snacks while we laughed and cried and talked about life, God, kids, husbands.
We talked about everything. And if we weren't together, we were on the phone
talking.
Even though I have lost
contact with the other gals in our group from high school my friendship with
Roxie remains constant. She is one of those friends who has always been there.
The miles that lie between us now haven't changed our friendship. It is so easy for us to
pick up right where we left off even if it has been months since we have seen
one another or spoken on the phone.
Roxie has always been a
source of joy for me. So I came up with a list of why she is my best friend.
To me, she has been all these ways of being a best friend.
5 Ways to
be a Best Friend
1) Be emotionally supportive without being critical or judgmental.
2) Listen thoughtfully and truly hear what is being said.
3) Truly care about their well-being.
4) See the best in her/him.
5) Always make them feel welcomed.
And if I can add one
more, tell your friend that you love them. My advice is to always tell those you love that you love
them. No one ever gets tired of hearing someone tell them that they love them.
When it comes to best
friends they are thoughtful and do things for one another that others
don't think of. They have the ability to hear what you are truly saying which
is one of the best parts of a friendship. They can laugh out
loud and act silly around one another and not worry about condemnation.
Roxie is one of those people who accepts me as I am and is truly is my best
friend.
So to celebrate my
friendship with Roxie, I would like to share what I call her signature
cake.
(Note: I did make a couple of additions to
the recipe. I added one teaspoon each of almond extract and vanilla extract.)
It is her cake that was
featured in the Sweetheart Cookbook that was put out by our local newspaper
back in 1971. I still have the original newspaper cookbook. Do you
remember when local newspapers putting out community cookbooks from local
cooks?
Yesterday
morning I whipped up this cake so I could show you what it looks like in
color. Since I didn't have but one heart shaped cake pan, a round cake
would have to do. Isn't this a pretty cake?
This cake kind of
reminds me of the cherry nut ice cream my mama used to make during the summer.
Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it would be perfect.
Maybe
you have a best friend like Roxie. I hope so. Celebrate your best friend
today!
"A memory lasts forever
never does it die...
True friends stay together
never do they say goodbye. "
What an awesome tribute to a beautiful friend! Loved it! Thank you for sharing. :-)
ReplyDelete