I am currently on vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with my godsister, Linda Anderson. My grandparents were/are Linda's godparents. Linda is the youngest girl of nine children and before I was born, my grandparents (who had no grandchildren at the time) showered her with clothes and purses and shoes and love and ... you get the picture. Two years later, I was born and the clothes and purses and shoes and love shifted to me. Needless to say, the first time I visited Hartford, CT and all the attention was focused on me and not her, little Linda Anderson made the comment: I don't like that lil ole girl, when is she going home? Over the years, as we grew up, that sentiment changed and she'll tell you herself: I just love that lil ole girl now!
Have you ever had a friend/sister that you could tell ANYTHING and know you would never be judged for it or that it would be held against you at some later time? Have you ever had someone in your life that you can just look at and both of you bust out laughing because you were thinking the same thing at the same time? (Like: "Lin ain't no deaconess"; or "they send them back to Africa when they are bad"; or "And they thought I was such a cultured woman until..." (Sorry, inside jokes, but I bet Lin as she is reading this is busting a gut!) Or with whom you say the first two words of a story/memory and they know EXACTLY what you are talking about? That's me and my godsister. Whenever we are on the phone and my mother walks into the room and sees me laughing hysterically with tears running down my face, she just shakes her head and says, "you must be talking to Linda" and walks out the room. Whether we are in our respective homes in Atlanta GA and Seattle WA talking on the phone - or writing each other via email - or praying with and for each other as one of us (usually me) is jetting from one place to another - I know Linda has my back and loves me regardless. And the most special thing about her: She truly truly loves the Lord, and encourages me to do the same every time I speak with her or am with her.
She is an amazing singer, motivational speaker, single mother of one daughter, great friend, lover of her family and mankind and each and every day, inspires me to be a better person and a better Christian and lover of God. She has truly been and is a blessing in my life. Now, she is not without flaws - don't get a sista wrong: she never cleans out her voice mail inbox so you always have to call her 5 million times to get through to her, but even if I call her at 3:00a (which I do not do often!), she will pick up the phone and talk me down from whatever crisis I think I am going through at the time; she is TOO addicted to TV and the Internet - I won't tell you how many times I've had to pull her away from the laptop on this vacation already and we've only been here two days, but she's doing much better than I expected! hahaha; and I don't think she knows how truly beautiful and "stunning" she is inside and out, but I hope she realizes it one day...soon. I mean, look at that smile! She is amazing.
I believe in giving people their flowers while they can enjoy them. When Lin reads this, she will be slightly mad at me, but she'll get over it. Hey, she got over my birth 44 years ago, surely a little blog post won't be a deal breaker!
I pray you have a Linda Anderson in your life. Everybody should.
Be blessed.
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