Letter #47 - Murphy

Murphy is a sweet older man who fits into my "grandpa obsession" category of friends.  I love Murphy.  A lot.  It's impossible not to love him.

When Murphy lost his wife, it was a terrible thing for all of us to go through as she was an incredible woman.  She suffered from Alzheimer's Disease, and we all did our best to support Murphy through all of that.  I had Murphy on my list of letter recipients for this week before I even realised that I was going to get to see him last weekend at the Journey House Valentine's Banquet.  I was so thrilled to see him there, and even more thrilled when he quietly took me aside and "confided" in me that he had a new "friend" and was "as happy as a high school boy"  It was ADORABLE.  He then told me that the banquet was supposed to be their "coming out affair" but that apparently everyone already knew.  It was the cutest thing in the world... like an insulin shot right to the heart.

As I wrote my letter to Murphy, I congratulated him on finding such a wonderful woman to make him happy (he's been so sad for so long it did my heart happy to see him smiling so big!).  Writing to him also reminded me of some of the friends in my life who are a part of my "Murphy Circle"... names that will surely be appearing on this blog in the near future :o)

Letter #36 - Dave

I never really got to know my grandfathers.  As a result, I tend to swoon over grandfatherly men (in the awwww sweet kind of way, not the grossly inappropriate age difference kind of way).  When I was doing my undergrad, my pastor was one of these types (a young grandfather though).  His wife was this incredibly sweet lady and he was this cranky man with a super soft side that he preferred most people didn't notice.  I fell into the category of people who were allowed to shamelessly exploit that soft side and make him hug me a lot.  Whenever I get to see him now that I've moved away from East Lansing, I get big hugs and enthusiastic requests for details on my life since he's last seen me.  The last time I saw him, I was thrilled to hear that things in his life had done an almost 180 (he'd had a rough few years there!) and that he was practically floating he was so happy.  It was awesome to see.

Dave is another person who is on my Christmas card list and doesn't ever hear from me outside of that unless we see each other in person somewhere.  As I contemplated how to start my letter off to him, I was overcome with memories from times spent with that congregation, with Dave and his wife, with Dave's mother before she passed away.  As grumpy as he could get when I lived there, he still had a beautiful heart that almost always shone through.  He is a compassionate man, and I am so blessed to know him.  He has brought amazing ministry to my life, and I doubt he has any idea this is the case.