a "best" friend

I have a sweet, sweet friend Denise who is possibly the best friend I've ever had.  Not like "my best friend" - that girlish thing we tend to do where we put friends into levels of importance, to describe a person who I tell everything to and is my closest friend.  She is simply, legitimately a good friend.  We met at church in Dothan, and in the two short years we lived there we became very close.  Since then we talk regularly and visit about once a year.  Yes, she's someone I share a lot with, who I ask to pray for me when I need it.  She knows me well, and - maybe just as important - she knows my husband well and understands our relationship.  Denise is so good at being a friend and showing love.  She reads people well - what they need and whatnot - so well, in fact, that as a women's ministry in our old church, she and a few other women have assigned groups of women to each other for mentoring.  When Brad and I sold our house in Dothan and we had to move out ourselves, Denise showed up at my house with boxes and tape.  My mom was helping me pack - Brad had to work - and Denise arranged dinner for us and stayed for an entire two days while we worked furiously to get it done!  At the time she had a 1 year old, so I know she had to scramble to find someone to watch her baby.  She is selfless like that.  I pray that I have a chance to be as good a friend to her one day.
Denise brought her two girls into town earlier this week, and we had a great time!  Mary Selwyn is almost 4 and Adeline is 2.  We played at the park, the girls "performed" on my fireplace "stage," and we went to the beach.  What a great start to the week!

Addison was enthralled by the big girls, as she always is by other kiddos.  I'm not sure she'd call them her "best friends" though... today that title seems to go to her daddy's foot - gross!