I slipped the package into her hands with specific instructions, “Don’t open this until you get there.” We hugged, cried, hugged and cried some more. Then she was gone. Off to a new adventure 1,000 miles away. She wasn’t going alone though. My friendship and the secret package would be close at her side. Contained within were four envelopes. One a week for the next four weeks. The first month of a new move is the hardest. So these surprise letters were intended to help get through that initial stage. Little did I know we had taken the first step on a journey that would enrich us both.

You see, the person who left was my dearest friend, Jocelyn. We’ve been separated now for almost two years. But at the same time we haven’t been apart at all. Sometimes it’s calls or emails, other times texts, but mostly it’s letters. Back and forth across the country. Week after week. Ream upon ream. Like ping pong balls flying effortlessly through the air. Laughter and love from her house to mine.

Even my kids get in on the fun. It’s not unusual to hear, “Mom, another letter from Jocelyn. Hurry up and open it.” They can’t wait for me to read the funny parts while they laugh along. When my response is ready to mail out, they want the comedic highlights. Like the time I started swimming again after a thirty-year absence. It wasn’t pretty, but I managed to stay alive—despite feeling like a half-drowned mermaid. Or, how about the mattress quest? Three mattresses in three months. None of them right for my back. But Goldilocks would have been impressed!

Yes, we write funny anecdotes to each other. All about daily life as middle-aged homeschool moms, sharing our stories and encouragement. But, the letters haven’t always been humorous. There’s been plenty of pain, sorrow, and mutual commiserating. Her homesickness, house-hunting, and new church challenges. My marital issues, health problems, and losing a close friend to cancer. Letters filled with souls sharing fear and sorrow. Real and transparent, two friends bound by love, compassion, and comradery. Never feeling alone in the world, as long as we have each other (and lots of paper!).

I sometimes feel guilty writing into the wee hours of the night, or when I should be doing a hundred other things. But then I stop and think on the example I’m giving my kids about the priority of relationships, and the value of friendship. This is a good life lesson for them to know, as friends are hard to come by in our world. Those we have should be cherished and nurtured. Each a priceless gem, woven into the cords of life.

I’m planning my first visit to see Jocelyn. I know it will be a joyous reunion, and we’ll have a wonderful time. But after I return, I can count on one thing. The letters will resume, back and forth across the miles. Doing what they set out to do from the beginning. Keeping our friendship alive. One word at a time.  

~ By Chris Barratt