My Dear Friends: Tara Dew and Saemica Wilkins!:)

I am so excited about moving back to Georgia, we will be so close to three of our five grandkids and I am just so excited about that!:) I am also very excited to get back to some dear friends, and family, but I am also very sad that I am leaving friends here...We have made some good friends here at the seminary...Grayson and Kristle Osteen, we love them and their kids dearly, they have made our time here so much fun! And Zack and Rebekah Furches have been great friends to us and we will miss them all so much! Tommy has friends he has made at school and work and I have friends that I have made at work and church...I could go on and on about the friends that I made especially at Heritage...the doctors there were so great Dr. Konopka, Dr. Cefalu, and Dr. Burton, I will love these guys always and I will never forget the year I spent at Heritage! I also worked with a lot of great women too...Jill and Angie and April and Michelle and Mallorie, I spent more time with these woman than I did with Tommy and Chase. They will always be special to me! I also have woman at church that I have come to love, Julie, and Lori-Anne, Barbara, and Corey, and Amy, and Allison...Terry, and Suzanne Snyder, and Donna...They have all been great friends to me!! But I have to be honest...There are two women who have really been there for me for these 3 years that we have been in Wake Forest!! Tara Dew is my pastor's wife, but she is SO much more than that! Tara, I can't begin to tell you what your friendship has meant to me! You have been there for me in so many ways. From allowing me to join the Conversation Peace bible study when I wasn't even a member of your church...We had only visited what twice!?! and then you and Jamie coming to the hospital and staying with Tommy as I had surgery and not just staying for awhile, but staying until I was out of recovery and coming to my room and praying for me, again we still were not members of Stony Hill!! Then when we did finally join you welcomed us there with open arms...you have been a wonderful mentor for me as I prepare to help minister with my husband, you have such wisdom beyond your years. You are such a wonderful example of a Christian wife and mother, and friend and I can't tell you how many times I have thanked God for you...The Lord has provided for us in so many ways since we have been here and putting you in my life when He did was definitely a provision from the Lord for me!! I am excited about my new role and I plan to call on you for more of your wisdom! And I look forward to sharing an even greater friendship as pastor's wives!! I love you Tara and I just wanted you to know what you mean to me!!

I met another woman about the same time, God brought Saemica Wilkins into my life at a time when I really needed her. Unfortunately, the first year we were here I had to have a hysterectomy and although Tommy and I had never talked about having another child, the fact that I couldn't was very hard for me. Saemica was the nurse at my GYN office and she was there to help me from day one...before I even knew I would have to have the surgery! Then much to my surprise, she soon became my boss! And again she was SO much more than a co-worker or my boss, she has become one of my very best friends!! She has been there when I have had to make difficult decisions...She has listened to me, she has given me advice, and she has just been a wonderful friend!! I love you Saemica!! You mean the world to me! I look forward to flying up and still having our lunches at O'Charley's or Chili's. And we always have email and cellphones...I am only a phone call away Girl!:)

This is not Good-bye...Just See you later, Alligator!!:)