Friends Forever
By Elizabeth
March 1998


Under a young willow tree, it's branches swaying in the autumn wind, a young girl named Marie writes a letter to a friend far away. The birds sing in sweet refrain, the autumn leaves fall gently about her, while her pen glides across her paper, swiftly writing to a friend far away.
Her pen nears the end of her paper, and in an elegant hand she writes, "May we never part and with God's good grace, write these letters to each other 'till we see His loving face."
Then under the swaying willow tree she seals the letter with a blessing and sends it on it's way.

Time goes on and now the young girl has become a young lady, and under the same willow tree writes a letter to her friend far away. And as her pen nears the end of her paper writes in a flourishing hand, "May we never part and with God's good grace, write these letters to each other 'till we see His loving face."

The years pass quickly, now Marie is a woman with children of her own. Every chance she gets she goes back to the willow tree and writes a letter to her friend far away. And as she nears the end of her paper she writes with an experienced hand, "May we never part and with God's good grace, write these letters to each other 'till we see His loving face."

After her children grow up and have children of their own, Marie grows old and weary, and can't go back to the once young willow tree as muchas she would like. But every once and a while she takes her paper and pen, and with her back against the old willow tree writes in a shaky but neat hand, "May we never part and with God's good grace, write these letters to each other 'till we see His loving face."

For a time the letters ceased, and then her friend received a letter from Marie saying she was in the hospital. Knowing she was seriously ill, a short time later her friend arrived at her bedside. "Well Marie I've come," she said, " It's going to be alright."

And before she left her dear friend's side that night she leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I will see you soon," and gave Marie a kiss on the cheek as she went.
That very night Marie passed away.
When her family went to the hotel where her friend was staying, to give her the news of Marie's death, they found she had passed away as well. She had died softly in her sleep and beside the bed were all the letters Marie had written her.
One that lay open was penned in an elegant script, obviously written by Marie as a young girl. And at the bottom of it were the words, "May we never part and with God's good grace, write these letters to each other 'till we see His loving face."

~The End~

Proverbs 17:17 "A friend


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loves at all times.