My D

If I were honest with you, I don't remember the first time I met Darren. He says we've known each other since we were 4, which I know is true. We were in the same sunday school classes for years and grew up in church together. However, he was a year younger than me and a boy, so I assume that for most of those years he was invisible to me. My first vivid memory of Darren is riding home from a mission trip together. It was the summer after my 9th grade year in high school. We had gone to Augusta, Georgia for a mission trip. On the way home, we all stopped in Atlanta to go to six flags. However, I had to be back for color guard camp that night and Darren had to be back so that he could leave for wrestling camp- so we both caught a ride back with a mom who was leaving early. We were stuck by each other for two hours in a backseat, and all I really remember is sharing headphones to his portable CD player so that we could both listen to a CD he had bought while on the mission trip. The next week, he was at wrestling camp and we talked on the phone every night he was gone. Ever since, he's been one of my closest friends.

We tried the whole "dating" thing off an on throughout high school, but we could never get on the right page and it was just obvious that we werent mean to be. We finally accepted the fact that we were just friends, and he is one of the best guy friends I've had. Sure, he drives me crazy. Sure, there are times when he has been so mean that I've cried. Sure, we've had our arguments. But D knows me in a way that not many people do. I can literally tell him everything about me- the flaws and all- and it doesn't change his view of me. Whenever I've needed a shoulder to cry on, he has been there in a heartbeat. We have shared many trips together and many laughs, and probably thousands of hours on the phone over the years. (I remember the nights of talking to him until 6:00AM!) Now, we can go weeks without talking, but instantly pick up where we left off when we do. When I'm with him, he makes me feel 16 again. D is one of the best friends I've had.

At my going away party in 2009

Last Saturday, D was in a car wreck. He hit a pole in his neighborhood. I talked to him Monday night, and at that point he couldn't feel his legs. It's been hard to talk to him much this week since he has been in the ICU and then moved to a regular room and then starting therapy, so I'm not sure exactly where his progress is. I know today he walked for the first time, but I'm not sure how much walking was done and I'm not sure how much improvement he needs to make before he can go home. I'm calling him tomorrow to get more of an update.

For now, I'm asking for your prayers over my D. Pray that the Lord will give him strength and patience. Pray that the Lord will heal his legs and get him home soon. Pray for his family, as I'm sure they are exhausted. It's killing me to be 10 hours away right now. I would love to go visit him in the hospital and keep him company and just spend time laughing with me, but unfortunately that isn't possible. I'm writing this to ask for prayers for him! I love you, D!