Barbara and Diane became lifelong friends in elementary school. As it turned out, they lived just down the road from each other on the Bakerview Road in this most northwestern town. Lucky girls – Mt. Baker, all 10,000 feet of her, reigned from behind the clouds at the end of their road, appearing now and then to impress everyone with her luminous snow cover. When the school bus released them, the girls would pick one house or the other to hang out for the rest of the afternoon. Playing a game of Checkers or Scrabble while the brownies baked, completing a science project together, figuring out ways to avoid all those brothers they both endured, sharing secrets. “I think Bobby likes you – he was looking at you today during Math”. Giggles. It was sweet.
But dusk falls early out there, especially in the winter when the North Cascades catch the rainclouds and empty them on the western side of the mountains. Around 5 PM, the mom in residence would remind the girls, “Almost time for supper.” So for whichever girl had to make her way home in the darkness, the other one would quickly respond, “I’ll walk you halfway home”.
Time passed. Both girls grew up, moved away, married, and had their babies. But every now and then, they would reconnect, and it would be just like the old days. They would pick up right where they had left off. Some relationships are like that; treasures, not affected by the passing of the years. Then one day, Diane heard the news that no one wants to hear. Breast cancer. What could be done for her? The doctors were too late. So Barbara, along with some other friends from school days, got together and made her a quilt, to push back the chill and the fear. Each friend wrote words of love and comfort in its squares. Tears rained down when Barbara’s words were seen – “I’ll walk you halfway home”.
This is what we can do for each other. This is the place where we touch the Love that is at the heart of the universe. It is all that we can do, but somehow, it is enough.
