Friends are Friends Forever

Last night before I went to bed, I found out one of my best friends and his fiancee were in a 4-wheeler wreck. She's got a broken ankle, cheekbone, and wrist. He's on life support. No brain activity, on a vent, collapsed lungs, fractured skull. He's been one of my best friends for the last 18 years. I spent the morning with him at the hospital. Now I'm home with my little baby boy, and I just feel lost. I'm praying for him, but I don't even know which way to pray. I know if he makes it, he'll never be the same. I know if he doesn't, so many of us will be broken.

In 2010 two of my best friends died a few weeks apart from each other. Both of them I met in my early teens, and they both were major influences in my life. They were also much older than I was. This is the last person living (aside from my family) who had a major input in shaping me into the woman I am today. I met him before I met the other people I mentioned who have already passed. We've gone through so much together, including losing both of our fathers to cancer, losing grandparents, lots of failed relationships. We've shared lots of happy times too. The birth of both of our sons, him finding his fiancee, me finding my husband, going to national level competitions in our hobbies (poetry for me, cards for him), working on cars together, listening to music and hours and hours and hours of conversations.

I've lost enough people in my life to know that any time could be the last time, but when you're young, you still never expect something so tragic to hit so close (he's 37, I'm 29)... it doesn't get any easier. Right now, his life is hanging in the balance. He's made improvements in the last week, but he's got a LONG way to go before he even gets off the machines.

I've always been one of those girls that had more guy friends than girl friends. I've got a handful of girlfriends that I call my besties, but over the years, I've had more close guy friends. Of course, things change when you get married, but he's one of them that I still considered not only a best friend, but like my family. My husband, of course, outranks all the other best friends in my life, male or female. I'm very lucky my husband is understanding and not the overly jealous type.

I have no idea what the next hours, days, and weeks will bring for him. I'm just going to be doing a lot of praying. I'm looking forward for my husband to come home from work for some support.