New Baby (not mine, thank you very much)

*  Hey, I am noticing that certain words in this entry may be linked to advertisements.  I need to figure out how to make that stop.  Don't click on anything.  I didn't create any links.  We don't do advertising here on At Least.  We are just about working through the craziness.

When I was in high school I was involved with my church youth at a state level.  While I am no longer a part of that particular denomination, I still keep in contact with several of the very, very good friends I met there.

Roberta, Alison and I called ourselves the Sashes.  We wore shiny scarves as sashes, thus the name.  It was our all-girl rock band name -- only we were too avaunt-guard to be a rock band.  We sang folk songs and Broadway "hits."  Well, we thought we were fabulous.  Our first long-playing record album was going to be "Rhinestone Kind of Night."  I know you had to be there, but -- trust me -- we were hilarious.  Or at least we thought so.

I wanted to show you a picture of us then, but I could not find one.  I would have suffered the truth of big hair for you.  I could find Ali and Birdie, Birdie and me, Ali and me . . . but not the three.

Well, anyway, it's 30 years later. If I told you the kinds of things each of us has been through you wouldn't believe it.  You would think I was making it up.  Ups and downs. Downs and ups.  Sickness, heartache, failure.  Things not so hilarious as our made-up record albums.

Today Roberta is a lawyer and pottery artist.  She won't admit to either one, but she is.  Alison has been literally all over the world.  She teaches English as a second language.  Most recently she taught in Iraq where she met Josh and came home with this most precious and delicious surprise:

That, friends and loved ones, is her first one.  I won't give her age away, but you know how old I am, so you can guess Ali's about the same.  It's not the best picture of the tiny baby Sash, but look -- oh, look! -- at my friend.  Look at that beautiful and delighted face as she starts a brand new phase of life and hear the splash of my tears of happiness for her as they hit my keyboard.

As I think back on the trials we have faced and the many different starts and stops we have had to make, I think you just never know when new adventure is on its way.  Sometimes life throws you a surprise you just want to throw right back.

But sometimes life throws you a surprise you just can't believe is really yours.

Isn't it interesting?  Isn't it good?