A sweet couple from our church, Mark and Charon, invited us to go on a hay ride to look at Christmas lights last Saturday. So, Justin, Stacey, Zoe, Hank, Eric, Maggie, Shepherd, Eliza, Tim and I piled on the flat bed full of hay with everyone else and off we went. It was a super fun time, albeit a little chilly and misty.
Well, as we were talking, laughing, singing and riding up and down streets of giant, beautifully decorated houses looking at Christmas lights, Zoe looked at her mom and said, “These are my old friends.”
I loved this comment from sweet 3-year-old Zoe on so many levels. First of all, I think it is too cute that a 3-year-old can consider us “old friends.” I mean, think about it, my “old friends” are friends I’ve know for 20 years, whereas Zoe’s “old friends” are friends she knew 6 months ago when we all lived in Kentucky together. It just makes me chuckle to think of a 3-year-old’s perspective of “old.”
Also, I love that it was like we got to see it finally click in her little brain who Maggie, Shepherd, Tim, Eliza and I all are. Both Dave and Maggie and Tim and I had babysat for Zoe and Hank on many occasions while we all lived in Louisville. Zoe had been to our houses, played with our babies, seen us at church, etc. I love that all of a sudden it just clicked. It was like she was saying, “Wait, I recognize these people, I know these people.” YAY! That makes me happy.
“These are my old friends.” Yes, Zoe, that’s us, your old friends. I’m so thankful you and your family are here in Pearland with us, and I pray we’ll be friends for a very, very, very long time.