For Her It Had To Be...

"A faithful friend is a strong defense;
And he that hath found him hath found a treasure." 

                                                                                     ...Louisa May Alcott    

The gift has been wrapped, the card signed and all placed in a postal box, carefully sealed, addressed and shipped to Houston.

Yes, I've mailed my latest gift of love.  Before I show you the the finished product.  I want to share with you a little about my friend.

I have mentioned before I have a handful of friends who are very special to me.  I wrote about one several months ago.  Today I want to share with you a little bit about another very dear friend.

Cam and I have been friends for over thirty years.  We met when we both worked in the same office in Austin, Texas.  She was (and still is) a spunky redhead who pretty much shot from the hip.   She has a wonderful sense of humor and a laugh, well, if you are around when she starts laughing you just can't be in a bad mood, it is infectious.  She is one of the bravest, most loyal and honest people I know.   She attended my wedding, she was with me shortly after the birth of my daughter and she attended my daughter's wedding.

As I was knitting I started thinking, as I always do,  about all our years together.  She is one of those friends who appears when you are in most need of a friend.    Roger and I moved from Austin shortly after we were married. We were not happy where we were living and decided we would try to move back.  We found a house still under construction.    Now someone needed a job in Austin immediately.  With a newborn, Cam invited me to stay with her and her family while I looked for employment and until our home was finished.  The first day I remember being so discouraged.  The second day she sent me out and (she probably remembers this differently) told me to come back with a job.  And you know what, I did.    I remained with her until our house was finished.  Believe it or not we stayed good friends.

Cam loves babies.  She was meant to be a mother.   She has three wonderful children and two beautiful grandchildren; God really got that one right.  She was one of the three people I immediately told when I found out I was pregnant.   No one could have been more excited for us.  Each month on the day of my doctor's visit I would get a phone call from her checking on me.  I think she kept better track of my visits than I did.  When I hit twelve weeks I started hemorrhaging and had to be rushed to the doctor's office as an emergency.  I was told I would probably lose the baby and should be prepared to return to the hospital over the weekend.

Roger took me home and I settled in for bed rest.  Shortly after Roger left to go to a meeting, my telephone rang.  It was Cam.   She said she had called my office and when told I wasn't coming in she knew something was wrong.  She stayed on the phone with me and listened while I talked and cried.  She knew first hand what I was feeling.  She said I could call her if I needed her.  We hung up.  Before I could settle back down on the sofa there was a knock on my door.  I opened the door; I am sure you already know, it was my friend Cam.  She said she couldn't let me sit at home alone.  I can't remember how long she stayed, but I know it was several hours.  She walked with me through one of the longest days of my life, and I know Roger was relieved to know she was with me. (Just a note, that baby is now a beautiful twenty seven year old.)  That is my dear friend Cam.

I have so many wonderful stories I could share.  She is vibrant, talented and courageous.  One day she will email she is in front of her potbellied stove with a good book and two weeks later she is off to Israel or on some other adventure.   In my eyes she is fearless.  Her example is what gave me the courage to tackle Boston on my own.  Mostly... she is my friend.

I am not one to stick with blue for boys and pink for girls.  I like to mix it up some.  I try to knit something different for each baby.  When Cam told me her second grandbaby was going to be a girl  I knew immediately it had to be....

pink!

So, you might think this is the end of this story.  No, not so!  A couple of weeks ago, I get an email from my friend telling me her second son and his wife are expecting their first baby and they just found out it is a boy.  

So in honor of Cam, I've put on my 

celtic music  and, I think with a the name of Liam it has to be....

It's a surprise!

Cam is my friend, and I am blessed.