We were just a young couple with a baby boy when we first went to that Lutheran Church, “It seems so big, but I guess this is where we will join.” My husband whispered to me. He had just signed his contract to teach boys and girls in Math and Chemistry so we had just moved to this city. When we left the church our unforgettable friend came over to us. We talked for awhile then she invited us over to her house for dinner! All of us had a good time with her husband, two daughters, two sons and our unforgettable friend. When we got home to our little apartment my husband and me agreed that this was a wonderful way to spend our first day.

We became friends and spent quite a bit of time with them. Their oldest daughter became our baby sitter and their oldest son was one of Eddie’s students. She taught me how to make different recipes. She played the piano and I love to sing so we spent afternoons playing and singing, We always had a great time with this family.

A few years later, my husband died. At that time we were living way up North in Wisconsin where Eddie was Assistant Superintendent of schools. He dropped dead teaching a group of students how to play fencing. He was still in his thirties and we had two sons and one daughter. After the funeral was over, I was left alone with my three children, wondering how I could raise them.

My son and daughter left for school for the first time after their daddy died and I was sitting at the kitchen table watching my little boy playing with his trucks. The phone rang and it was my unforgettable friend. She said. “Are you alone?” I said, “Yes except for your Godchild.” She laughed a little about that  and added, “Put the coffee on. I’ll be right there!” “Sure you will.  You will have to fly that 200 miles,” I answered. “No, I’m serious. I’m coming to spend a few days with you,” “You can’t do that. It’s Thanksgiving day in a couple of days and you’ll want to be with your family” I argued. I’ve talked to my family and we have decided to put off the turkey awhile,” she argued back. So she came and I had the coffee hot for her.

We had a wonderful time during the next few days. We were invited to another friend’s  home for Thanksgiving Day and besides eating our dinner, we made ornaments for our church bazaar. When we came home and put the kids to bed, I told her how worried I was on how to raise the kids, All our money had gone to pay for his education. He was studying for his Doctor’s degree. She said, “You have tremendous talent, Yvonne. Just tell God to take over your life and it will be better than you ever dreamed. After all He gave you the talents you have and He knows you better than you know yourself!”

I did ask god to take over my life and he has done very well with it. My unforgettable friend has gone to her heavenly home, but her words I’ve on. I’ll never forget my unforgettable friend!

Sometimes I get lonely, and I know why. I forget that I am never alone. I miss my Grandpa. He was a very spiffy man. I remember his white derby hat, his tan pants and his striped tan suit coat. When he preached he always wore a black robe with a white ruffled thing around his neck. I guess he got that when he was ordained at the high church in Norway. He came to the United States after his ordination. He loved to sing and he would sing the hymns with a Norwegian brogue.

He decided one day to baptize my oldest daughter in our church which definitely was not Norwegian! His baptism was long and in Norwegian! Our Godparents were not, which made it hard to know when to answer his questions. Not only that but he turned toward the organist and said “I will now sing a song, will you play it for me?” After they got together on which song he would sing, it went okay. but The Godparents and my baby girl were still standing up on the podium. My baby girl behaved the entire time! The problem came because the church had bought one hour on the radio and the service was much longer than that but the radio people kept the radio going. I guess they also were intrigued with my Grandfather. When he died he was buried in a beautiful cemetery. My little boy ,only four years old, said during the solemn part of the service, “Is this place heaven, Mama! He married my Grandmother but I never met her, Mom told me she visited once in our little parsonage, but it must have been when I was very small. I do remember Dad taking the train to Philadelphia to visit her on her death bed.

The other lady I really miss is my grandmother on my mother’s side. We visited her, her two daughters and her son. None of them were ever married. I miss them too but today I am thinking about my grandfather and my grandmother,

Grandma was a wonderful lady. I am often told she went blind the day I learned to walk though I’m sure that was said to tease me. But she was totally blind. I used to wipe dishes for her and I’ve never seen any one wash them cleaner or brighter than she. She would go round and round on each dish and if she found a little bump on the dish she fixed it. She knew what time to put the potatoes on the stove, ready for my aunts to come home and she sure knew what time to put the radio on for Ma Perkins or when the Grand Forks Chiefs were going to play! She was knitting every time we came in. In fact, she knit a muffler for every man who went into the army during World War II. She was always smiling and happy. She prayed for “the boys who went to fight for me”. I feel a loss when I knew she was praying for me, Maybe she still is from her new home in heaven. Grandma married twice. Her first husband froze to death during a blizzard. Her second husband died in a sanitarium. I never met either of them.

There, you have met my grandparents. I’ll tell you about another person I miss next week. But I do know someone who never leaves me but always comforts me. He is Jesus. Do you know him?