Rita just texted me. She's a grandma for the second time. i'm excited for her, and Randy, too. i think they'll be really great grandparents.
I love Rita a lot. I might quite sure how to classify her in my life, but she's just kind always there and she just kind of always knows.
I mean, she feels things in her spirit, which is ridiculous, but i also kind of love it. While i'm not a train wreck, and i'm not looking for a mom, i did need somebody to start showing me how to do things and she did that.
(i'm really into run-ons right now, so just whatever about it, ok?)
Sometimes i think, before we're born, we're all lined up and God picks out the people who will be in your life then hold on to them until the right time.
When i first met Rita, it was awkward. Let me just tell you all of my best relationships start awkwardly, or with me not liking the person, or thinking they don't like me. Whenever one of those things happen....its a relationship for the books. for real.
It was one of my first visits to the grove ever. I arrived on a friday night to visit my old roommate. I was 21 and i had no idea then what a big deal she'd be in my life.
upon arrival at Melissa's (old roommate, former best friend) she promptly demanded we go to target and then over to "rita's" for a "girls night"
first of all. Let me just tell you how much i hate the phrase "girls night." I hate it with everything in me. I think its dumb. Why do you gotta call it anything...why can you just go and be with your friends.
Anyway...we arrive at a really big house, with really nice things, and a whole bunch a cool kids who are all beautiful and look cute and appear to have known each other from the womb. I am the wild card who is in ripped jeans and an old sweat shirt who just drove 4 hours to see her best friend whom she hadn't seen in weeks because summer separated us. This was NOT my idea of a good time.
Everything smelled like anthropology and looked like pottery barn. (it still does but i love it now.)
Just as i was dreading, i walked away from the night feelin' like a wild card, wondering why exactly my train wreck of a roommate was friends with any of those people.
I couldn't understand it. they seemed....exclusive, and stuck up and real church-y. not my jam.
Those people who would later become real important characters in my life.
long story, long.....i walked away from that night with a strange first impression.
But God's funny, and all he was saying to us, me and Rita that is, is "not yet, but soon." Part of me thinks that it was some kind of weird trick, like i was all judgey about them....and then he's all like....oh...you're wrong, Nicole. You're so wrong about rita anyway...maybe not about the others.
And i was. Rita is a gem. There are times when you want to #firstworldproblem her. and give her some perspective.....but I love her because she loves Jesus, and she's generous and she tries to do the right thing. I love her because she always feeds me, and taught me about wine and lets me take naps on the good couch and invites me to the cabin and processes with me and prays for me. While i was worried about her leaving the Gallery and what that would mean for our relationship, i'm so thankful that church isn't our common denominator, but trying to be more like Jesus is.
People brought us together but they weren't the reason our relationship has sustained. I'm very thankful that i have a Rita. That she loves me well and was a soft place to land when i needed it.....although...she was part of the reason i needed a soft place to land...but if i dont' let that go....it'll just keep being a dumb thing. so...away it goes.
so....there rita...in a rambly mess.
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