I Love Ya Like....

These next steps ... they're the hard ones.  

They walk right into the unknown... 

A long time ago I shared the story of the house I used to drive past and how I felt God lead me to pull into a stranger's driveway to stop and  love my neighbor.

If you're interested how that turned out you can read about it here.     

This stranger became a trusted friend.  

Our first meeting stemmed around a pink Gerber daisy and every time I see one now; 

I think of her.

As time wore on,... Gardener woman and I  grew a pretty close bond.  

To see her number light up  my phone was always a welcomed interruption in my day.

She was a night owl and on the days we had the sisterchick bible studies at my house  I would drive her to and fro. I would see her into her door at night and she'd make me call her when I got back home to make sure I too got home and back in my house safely.  We'd keep talking on the phone
sometimes right  into the night.   

  Looking back; some of my most pleasurable moments have been  spent with her sitting beneath 

a piece of fabric shade she'd  strung above chairs in her garden area.  

We talked  roses, trumpet vines, tulips, flags, glads, yarrow, and shared many seeds and plant starts with each other. 

When I first met her I thought she was growing cotton because I could see these tall fluffy balls  blowing in the breeze on the side of her house.  It wasn't cotton though; instead the tallest chrysanthemums I had ever seen. She shared those very roots with me and they now

grow right here at the Shabby Olde Potting Shed.  

Gardener Woman  has much wisdom in her  and I like her down to earth, tell it like it is attitude. 

I can't tell you how many times when my head then mouth would go down a wrong rabbit trail she'd say,

"Well that's not for you to worry about-- 

THAT is God's business."  

I can still hear the strength and stern-ness in her voice.  

Sadly, Gardener woman no longer  lives  up the road from me anymore.  

A year or two  ago she started having strokes and now lives with one of her daughters.  

We've had a lot of time lapse between us and while I've sent her cards periodically I haven't seen her.  But recently I got the most beautiful and  shaky hand written letter from her!!!

To see her handwriting... and hear her voice in it; such sweet music to my heart.  

A phone number was also in the letter and when I dialed it; her daughter answered.  

She explained her Momma's condition and  then handed the phone to her.  

... She was hard to understand but I could hear that spark inside that I've missed for so long now.  

Today... my steps will again travel some unknowns to go see her.  

I'm a little nervous about it

 and anxious all at the same time.  

A pink Gerber daisy will again go with me

to leave with  her.  

 Knowing today I'll be seeing my old friend again,

I went to my bookshelf and took down this journal she made for me.  

Each stitch made by hand in love.  

In our family we have a saying we play.

I love ya like:

Myguy likes it when I tell him  I love him like a 69 chevelle.

I love ya like an EGR delete kit.  

I love ya like double hump heads.  

I love ya like made from scratch chocolate buttermilk cake.  

I love ya like flowmasters.  

I know he loves these things and he knows that I know he loves these things and 

that makes the love all the more grand.  

Love...  is all in the caring to know...

 isn't it?  

Today I'm going to go and love my neighbor once again....the Gardenerwoman.

I love her like ... her fat Sputnick kitty purring in my lap.  

Like late night talks when we're both lonely.  

Like our drive to Wendy's for a bowl of chili and frostee for dessert.

Like pink tulips planted for breast cancer awareness...

Like terracotta pots of fresh basil coz you can never have enough fresh basil.

Like 1 kitten short of a crazy cat lady.  

Like a tin of international house coffee.

Like possum pie... and four forks. (Kay, Ruth, Max and me)

Like a sharp retort to quit worrying about that or her coz that's God's business.  

Like a piece of fabric shade on a hot day.  

.... Like so many beautiful moments shared in friendship. 

Because life is short

and time is slipping away...

every single ticktock.  

As I opened my precious journal made

by her hand...

this feather was found inside. 

I remember putting it there now.   

She gave it to me from her bird: Striker.  

Already ...its wasting away.

May I not wait another day.

I hope to make the most of today.  

May my feet find her again...

Because love 

"loves."