Old Friends

I got to spend about 45 minutes this morning with a friend, Jill, who I have known for about 11 years who was in town briefly with her two kids. We met while we were both working at a health food store and still in high school. When I was pregnant with Eli and living in a S*&^ hole hand washing my undies in a bathtub and hanging them in the kitchen to dry, she was the friend who would stop by and bring me ice cream, maternity clothes, and any other comfort she perceived I needed. She drove me around in her Saab convertible and took me to get a manicure, drove me to the Goodwill to help me buy a rocking chair for my soon to be born child, threw me a baby shower and invited the few friends I had left, and came to the hospital soon after Eli was born to bring me gifts and encouragement after my long emotional and physical ordeal.

She sent me postcards and letters from her many trips to Israel over the next few years, brought me trinkets from her Semester at Sea while she traveled the world, and always made sure she kept in touch no matter where our lives took us. She is Jewish, and has recently explored Orthodox Judaism. She celebrates Shabbat every week with her family, does not drive anywhere or exert herself (even cooking counts!) on Saturdays, visits with her rabbi consistently, and bathes herself in the mik vah (I may have misspelled this and for a good visual, reference Charlotte in last season's Sex and the City storyline of her conversion to Judaism to marry her beloved Harry) to purify her sins. She is fascinating to me, as she is very in tune with God and how she feels called to live her life, but I also sense a burden within her as she constantly feels she is falling short. It has made me often think of the concept of grace in my own life, and how I often take it for granted. The fact that I don't have to follow a list of rules about modesty, sexuality (she follows Levitican laws and is deemed unclean for most of the month), eating, religious studies, and forgiveness. There is a definite beauty and mystery in the Torah and its history, and without it, my faith would be incredibly incomplete. In fact, one of my frustrations with contemporary Christianity is that it often ignores the Old Testament and its rich stories. It is the perfect set up for Jesus. But, Jill doesn't see it that way and is still waiting for the Messiah. She believes just as strongly that he hasn't come yet as I believe He came long ago. I am deeply thankful for her in my life, and I hope our friendship will be one of mutual love and learning for a long time to come.