Letter #51 - Kris

When I was young, my parents often "adopted" young couples and became friends with them, and mentors of sorts.  They would have them over for dinner, share with them about their own experiences, watch them start their families, and become very influential in their lives.  Watching them do this, it never really occurred to me that one day I would be half of a young couple like that, and that maybe I would like someone to take me under their wing in a similar way.  Never really occurred to me until my husband and I met Kris and her husband Steve.  We met them just a few months into our marriage, and they have certainly taken us under their wing.  They've had us to their home for dinner, they've been in ours, and they've attended some of my husbands gigs.  It's been very cool to have an older (non family) couple befriend us and make us feel welcomed by their friendship.  The last time we spent an evening together, I discovered that Kris was dealing with some family health issues - several all at once.  Having been in that position myself before, I decided to send her a little note of encouragement and smiles.  I am grateful to have her and her husband fill a role in our lives that I grew up watching my parents fill for other young couples.  I hope that someday my husband and I will be in a position to pay both their kindness, and their friendship forward!

Letter #7 - Kris

I'm not sure if the mail truck has been to our place yet or not, but whether it makes today's mail or tomorrow's, the letter I just finished writing is going to my friend Kris.  I have known Kris for about15 years I think now, and she is, by definition, awesome.  We met at a church camp in the UK and ever since spending that week together I greatly look forward to any event where I know our paths will cross.  Kris is vivacious, caring, compassionate, strong and stubborn (usually in all the right ways!).  She is someone who is not afraid to speak out against injustices, and is wonderful at confronting loved ones with love and compassion if she is concerned about them.  We have shared in camps, worship services, meals and just general chit chatting over the years and I have grown to respect her deeply.  She has been a mentor of sorts to me, someone who fiercely respects confidentiality, and who excels at helping others problem solve and learn to share their burdens with others.

Writing my letter this afternoon allowed me to reflect on one of the last times I can recall having the chance to spend some one-on-one time with Kris (which is a rare gift, she is an extremely busy lady!)  we had lunch together and she helped me talk through some stress points I had been carrying around with me for a few months at that point.  Her ability to not only approach the topic in a non-threatening way, but also to help me remember that I didn't have to carry all that weight on my own was invaluable to me at the time.  As I wrote my letter I was flooded with respect and love for her, even though the words I wrote were far more mundane (catching her up on my life since we last connected, inviting her and her husband to try and make time for a trip to visit this year, etc).

We all have people in our lives who play very important roles, and even though Kris and I may not chat every night on the phone, or even every week... she is someone I will always look up to and admire.