HAPPY BERFDAY, CHAS NASTY
-EM
“Lord, You know my heart. You created me and know me inside and out. Wherever you want me, I will go. Open and close doors. Your way is perfect.”
Those words are from my prayer journal last fall. I was praying about where to do my senior preceptorship for nursing school. What did I see when I looked at that white sheet hanging in Miller Hall? Emily Harmon, Huntsville Hospital, ER. We had joked about me living with Mr. and Mrs. Bellomy, but now I was packing my bags and heading north. Having already graduated from Auburn, I thought Chas would have flown off to some far away land by the time I rolled down that mountain in February. But God had other plans. While I started IVs and pushed pain meds, Chasley served fruit tea and chit chatted with mid-day diners at the Veranda.
I can’t imagine God putting me anywhere else for those 3 months. I cherished early mornings drinking coffee with Lynette, who always offered a listening ear and encouraging words. I remember when Keith got a new bass boat and suggested they be sitting in the den with life jackets on when I arrived home from work. Keith called us “Girls Gone Wild” (you can rent a copy at your local Blockbuster, it will be on the top shelf with a paper sleeve covering our picture). Reclined back in his infamous La-Z-Boy, Keith would reach to his right, grab his Bible and read us scripture. From Buck’s Pocket to Sportsman landing, we captured Jackson counties most beautiful sunsets. Riding around became an almost nightly ritual. We laughed. We cried. We ran. We baked. We made memories I will never forget.
From running around the Loveliest Village on the Plains, to jogging around the square in Scottsboro, Chas has been by my side. Chasley is one of the most selfless people I know. She is a friend who rejoices with me during good times and cries with me during the hard. And she is honest. She tells me the truth, even when it hurts. How thankful I am to have a friend who holds me to these standards. She prays for me. She encourages me. She overflows with the joy and peace of her Savior. She is contagious.
Best friends, but very different. She likes journalists, lead singers with tight jeans, and guys that float around on a plank of wood (aka skateboarders). I like carhartt wearing outdoorsmen, fishermen, and sports fanatics. Drop her off in the city, drop me off at the lake. Yet behind the hobbies and interests, we are just two girls trying to love people, not by our own strength, but with the grace and mercy that Christ has showered on us. But don’t let us fool you: Just last year I was caught buying a pair of Gucci sunglasses from Saks. And Chasley was found in Barbour County hitting the bullseye with my 6mm.
Happy Birthday Chasley. Thanks for always putting up with me. Allowing me to go to bed before most 80 year olds, forcing you to tip toe around the house while the sun is still shinning. Thanks for sitting in your car and playing I Just Really Miss You over and over for me as I sulked. Thanks for keeping your side of the bedroom clean (what if both sides looked like mine). But most of all, thanks for letting me be a part of your family. Come on over, 22 is fine.
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