Once upon a time.....

........there was girl that lived next door to my family. Her name was Amy and she had a sister, Rachael that came to be one of my best friends. As we grew up, Amy became a friend and the girlfriend of one of my brothers. Because our houses were just a few feet from each other and the fact that she and my brother were inseparable, we saw each other almost every day. I grew to love her just as I did her family. Throughout my late teens and early twenties, there aren’t too many memories I recall that she was not a part of in some way. With Amy dating my brother, I had the sister that I had always wanted within reach. She was beautiful, charming, vibrant, and full of life and had a very quick wit.

All too quickly my dream of her as my SIL came to an end. She and my brother broke up and he joined the Air Force shortly thereafter. Amy’s heart was broken. We had so many conversations after their relationship ended some that I still remember like they happened just yesterday.
A few years later, Amy married and moved to a neighboring city. Our lives began to take different paths and we grew apart. Circumstances would dictate that I would see Amy less and less as the years passed.

Sadly, last December, at the age of 42, Amy entered into eternity to meet her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My heart is still heavy even as I write this today. On one hand, I am overjoyed that one day we will sit together on the shores of that great city and talk like we did so many times before but on the other hand, I am saddened by all the missed opportunities to tell her how much I loved her when she was just a few miles down the road.

Amy would have celebrated her 43rd birthday in July and with its passing I am reminded again that I will have to wait until God calls me home to see her again. What a sweet reunion that will be…….