~~~~~~~~~~FOREVER MY FRIEND~~~~~~~~~~ Becky and Andrea the Nut

 ~ANDREA the NUT~

 7th Grade Photo

I first met my beautiful friend, Andrea (Andie), when the two of us were placed in the same homeroom class at the start of 7th grade.  The school year was 1970/71 and life in our growing Los Angeles suburb was truly exciting...or at least I thought it was!  

 

~BECKY the MOUTH~

7th Grade Photo 

I was about to cross the threshold from childhood into teenagerdom and was thrilled beyond reason to begin my life as a full-fledged junior-high school student.  That meant pantyhose, make-up, high-heels (small ones, per my father!) and the meeting of lots and lots of new friends cute boys.

 ~ANDIE the CHEERLEADER~

 Now...Andie was a real nut, and me, well, I was the unofficial class clown!  Combine those two lighthearted (notice I didn't say admirable) traits together with our mutual gift for gab, and one can easily see how Andie and I got ourselves into some real jams.  More times than not we were separated and not allowed to sit next to one another, which of course made our math class EXTRA BORING and meeting up behind the lunchroom gate all the more enjoyable.

 ~BECKY the CHEERLEADER~

(Don't Ask!)

By my account (and by every other girl and boy in our class), Andie was a knockout!  Not only was she funny and smart, but she was absolutely beautiful!  Oh...and on top of that she was NICE, too!  I'd have been perfectly happy to trade everything about me in exchange for anything and all of what she was...

 ~ANDIE the BEAUTY~

8th Grade Photo

By the time Andie and I made it to 9th grade I'd spent the night at her house at least a half a dozen times if not more.  We shared enough sleep-overs for me to dream about having pink rose wallpaper like she had in her 2die4 bedroom and to fall-in-like with her baby brother, Shaun...

~ANDIE IN PERSON~

Andrea was one of my dearest friends and so it's surprising to me now to realize how easy it was for us to lose touch with one another when my family and I moved away in 1974.  I suppose it's easiest to just say that people and interests change~  New friendships are made, fresh bonds are formed and life goes on and on and on...

  

~BECKY NEEDS BRACES~

8th Grade Photo

Facebook can be truly exciting when one is trying to reconnect with long-lost friends.  So~ when Andie found me and we linked back up in 2009 it was, in many ways, like the years just fell away.  We chatted on and off and I loved seeing pictures of her family and precious little grand-babies and hearing all about her life...

~ANDIE'S YEARBOOK NOTE~

Eventually time pressed in and I didn't hear from Andie for awhile...  But~I got busy (work and living does that to you if you let it) and I figured she was just busy, too!

Not so...

~GORGEOUS ANDIE - SENIOR 1976~

Just after Christmas I learned my longtime friend was in the hospital fighting for her life.  She was diagnosed with a brain tumor and is terminal.  Andie is currently too weak to undergo any further chemo treatment and I'm sad to say her days of living this side of heaven are numbered...  Except for a miracle she is not long for this world.

 ~ BEAUTIFUL ANDREA TODAY~

I'm broken hearted.

Today while I was praying for Andie and her lovely family I spent some time praying for my own imperfect heart as well.  I asked God to give me a sweeter spirit toward others and to forgive me for allowing some truly silly stuff to pick away at the person He's called me to be.  Because of Andie I'm going to try harder to make my Father in heaven proud...

"God be with you my sweet Andrea the Nut.  I pray God's mercy will reign down upon you this very moment and soften your pain and sorrow.  I know you are glory-bound and I give you my word...  I promise to meet up with you again someday, this time inside the Eastern Gate...  I love you...Becky"

~~*~~

Today I'm thinkin' I best get on with living the life I am called to live while I still have time...

Love to you...