greater love 98/366

Y'all already know my family is spectacular. Now I am going to head down a dangerous path. I have the best friends, friends who love me well. I am not going to mention everyone, there is no way I can. These are just a few specific examples from the last two weeks of people expressing "greater love" to me. 

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35

Tammy is a nurse working full time in a doctors office. She also helps her mom take care of her dad who has dementia. She checks to make sure  I don't need anything every single time she heads to the store. 

I wrote last week about Koty mowing my lawn because I was hurt. I got scolded today because he passed by and saw me mowing Sunday. He asked me why I hadn't called him to come do it.

Ron and Betty and Olive and Bradley have called to check on me. Others have texted or messaged me. I have received note cards in the mail. 

Last Monday evening Emily texted-

she was doing a quick list order at Kroger that could be picked up Thursday

was there anything I wanted or needed? 

I was craving eggs and wanted a few other things. 

she added them to her order 

she and Jeremy did a porch drop off Thursday evening

(after taking everything to their house and cleaning it with Clorox wipes first)

when I got her text about the delivery I eagerly headed to the front

I brought the grocery bag in and searched for the eggs 

and sighed big

no container of eggs

it was just one of the things Kroger was out of

I was confused by what I did find though

there was a Russell Stover marshmallow egg 

nicer than the other brands, but it was not the 4 Cadbury Cream Egg package I'd wanted

I texted Emily-and she replied

"I'm sorry you didn't get Cadbury. They substituted. 

I didn't think marshmallow was a good substitute."

I laughed and told her I agreed 

and that I appreciated her sacrifice

she kept the extra marshmallow eggs 

and replaced them with 3 of her Reese's eggs

I have another friend. A whole family of friends actually. Late last week Mr. Keith picked up a 50 pound bag of dog food for me, son Kasey and DIL Abby delivered it to my house. Kasey insisted on carrying it to the back porch, emptied it on the crocks I store it in, folded the bag when I told him I keep them for when I prune bushes and had a very difficult time not putting the bag in the "right" place when I told him to just stick it on the porch. Karen brings me fresh, brown eggs from their chickens. Last week she brought me 2 dozen.The cartons says 3/25 and 3/26. That's the days they were gathered. 

Anita texted me Friday. "There's something for you on your porch". I left the porch swing to go look. An Easter basket. For me. I cannot tell you the last time I received an Easter basket. I took it to the back porch and decided to wait to open it. I enjoyed looking at it all weekend. I cracked Monday. There was no way I was going to be able to wait all week. 

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you." John 15:12-14

I have friends that lay down their lives for me. No, they have not died for me, rather, they have done the more difficult thing. They regularly set aside part of their life to make sure I am taken care of. This is not new behaviour. It is what they have done, time after time after time, especially since Bill died. I used to think I was pretty low maintenance, but when I look at how many people who take care of me now, I wonder how in the world Bill did it all by himself! 

I have the best friends.

I have friends who love me.

I have friends who love me well.

I want to be the kind of friend that loves well.

"Lord, open my eyes to see where I can lay down my life for my friends."