A True Gift

Friendships are funny things.  Some come easily and quickly with little effort.  Some require more work to get going but once established, do well and flourish.  Some start off well and then fizzle out.  Some are born of circumstance and don’t last once those circumstances change.

Two years ago we went on a vacation and met Paula and George.  We chatted one evening in the hotel lobby and then again the next morning waiting on the shuttle bus to pick us up.  We both thought that would be the end of it as we were on a big ship with lots of people.  But we just kept running into each other and ended up becoming good friends.  Our girls got along so well and Paula and I bonded over the fact that we both loved Beth Moore and her Bible studies.  As for George?  As JD said, “There’s just nothing to not like about George.”

He’s right.

It might have been easy to just say good-bye after that vacation and months later say, “Remember those nice people we met on that vacation?  Wonder how they are doing?”.

But that’s not what happened.  Instead they came to visit D.C. and stayed with us.  Again, it could have gone either way.  Sometimes spending that much time together reveals things that don’t endear you to one another.

Instead, we found them even more lovely than we had remembered and our children were deliriously happy to be together again.

Our families seem to have that rare combination that makes us excellent traveling partners.

And that’s what we did this past week.  We sailed away again with our dear friends and their children.

George, Paula, a redheaded me, and JD

Once again, we never tired of each others company, our children were inseparable and we were reminded once again of the true gift of friendship.  We are now planning an exchange program for the summer tentatively called Camp Whitlock/Camp Hampton.

Thanks, Hamptons.  We miss you already and love you all.

Summer can’t come quickly enough.

The youngest pirates, Sophie and Elena

Katie and Tessa with Chip