Liz Merrill - A Hug From A Good Friend

Liz has been one of my good friends for many years.  Her older sister was my older sister’s friend—one of those arrangements.  So I’ve known Liz almost my entire life.  I’ll admit, we’ve had our ups and downs.  I decided I didn’t want to be friends with her anymore in the third grade, and I courageously made another girl tell her.  But as we grew older, we reconnected.  We became friends not because our sisters knew one another, but because we really enjoyed each other’s company.

Recently, a girl from our high school was involved in a fatal car crash.  I had played soccer with her in elementary school and knew her throughout all my schooling.  Needless to say, I was pretty shaken up.  I called Liz to ask if she was going to the funeral, and she informed me she was.  Liz is all heart, and although she didn’t know the girl extremely well, she was upset too.  We just talked briefly on the phone, but voicing my emotions to her lessened some of the hurt.  At the funeral we found each other, and she gave me a huge hug.  It was exactly what I needed.  Liz is a rock in turbulent times, and I’m so glad I can call her my friend.  I doubt she knows the subtle impact she has on the people around her.  But I do know that a hug from a good friend was what I needed that night, and that’s what Liz gave me.