One is silver and the other gold...

Make new friends, but keep the old... one is silver and the other gold... Yesterday I spent hours sitting with my precious friend D Carole Stanley at her bedside in the hospital. I sang to her and held her hand and prayed for her. I watched her sleep peacefully, seemingly unaware of my presence in the room, but I was comforted by being there. I talked to the nurses and the aides and the cleaning man about Carole and how we met and how hard she laughs over absolutely anything. I told them about how much she loves Jesus and that when my husband was ill in the hospital, she insisted her son bring her, wheelchair, oxygen and all, to comfort me during my difficult time. Everyone said "what a great friend." And they only heard a smidge of Carole's gift of friendship. 
Then I left and went to visit my parents. I took my mother to see her very best friend who is now in a nursing home with dementia. We were told "Joan" wouldn't recognize any of us. My mother recognized her from a roomful of residents immediately. Joan was in a chair watching a movie and restless. I walked in first and my mom cautiously stood about 30 feet away and watched. I brought lilacs and called her by name. It took several times to call out to her before she realized someone was asking for her.
She stood up from the chair where she was agitated and calmed when she saw me. She smelled the flowers and reached out and touched them. Then she said "you are very kind to come to my house." I said "Joanie, do you remember me?" And she mumbled something about sorting things out and putting them in the closet, so I realized she really was much more confused than we expected. I held her hands and looked in her eyes and said "do you want to see who came with me?" and she nodded her head. I pointed way down the hallway at my mother and my tiny little mom waved at her friend. I wish I had a video camera because what I saw next was possibly the most touching moment I have witnessed in a long time. Joanie looked in my mom's direction, and with complete recognition on her face, she spread her arms wide and the two of these little 85 year old women skipped into each other's arms. Joan put her arms around my mother's neck and rested her head on my mom's shoulder and sobbed. She said "you came, you came to see me, finally, you came." And through tears, my mom held Joan and let her cry. Then my sweet momma put her hands on either side of Joan's face, caressed her cheek and said "I am here now and I will always be here for you." And they took hands these two little 4'10" women and walked arm in arm up and down the hallway together chatting as if nothing ever changed. Bent over with their elderly bodies, I watched friends holding hands, chatting, loving each other and being there until forever comes. Both silver...realizing gold!