Today I bought some beautiful silk flowers to decorate my front table for the month of August. They were on clearance as I walked into Michaels with my daughter so she could make a return. I had not planned on buying anything. But, when I saw the flowers, I thought of Krista.
My best friend Krista passed away just over two years ago last month. She had melanoma, and it took her from this world too soon. I miss her so much sometimes I cannot breathe. But I also choose to allow myself to both grieve and remember all of the good times we shared over 20+ years of our friendship.
To know Krista was to see joy in action. She did not have an easy life. She had many physical challenges over the years. Yes, she would get down, but she still made the decision to personify joy in her words and in her actions. She loved Jesus. Her convictions about her faith and how she chose to live it out often challenged me to reexamine my own. I never agreed with her on everything, but I respected her decisions.
Therefore, this August, in what would have been her 48th birthday month, I will read a book she loved with our book club, Steve & Me by Terri Irwin, chosen from her Goodreads profile. I will play games she favored, including a home version of Minute To Win It, which reminds me of her birthday party in which her guests attempted the challenges from the game show she loved. I will put together a puzzle that reminds me of her, something with bright colors because those are the ones she loved best. And I will look at the yellow flowers I purchased today in remembrance of her favorite color, and I will thank God for the friend I had the privilege to do life with for so many years.
