Thankful Thursday – Best Friends Forever

My friend, Pam, and I have been friends since we were 4 years old! That’s 48 years! I’m not worried about telling my age – I’m just so thankful to be my age! When my family moved to the home where my Mother currently lives, there was an empty lot beside us. On the other side of the empty lot, lived the Lawsons who had 3 girls. At some point, this little red haired girl and the eldest of the Lawson girls met across that empty lot, around the age of 4 and a lifetime friendship was begun!

    From our early years at Pike County Elementary, middle school and high school at Pike Liberal Arts, Troy State University and years beyond, Pam and I have remained friends. Thanks to AT& T and Verizon Wireless, we talk frequently even though we live in different cities. We were in each other’s weddings. Pam was there when each of my girl’s were born. She was there for me immediately after I was diagnosed with cancer. She was there for me every day in the weeks before my Dad passed away and she was there for me the night he died.

     Today, I am so thankful for Pam and what she means to me and also to my family. She is a wonderful wife and stepmother to a son and daughter and a fabulous “Bam Bam” to four precious grandchildren. She is a great “Aunt Pam” to her nieces and nephews, a wonderful daughter and sister! We call her “Aunt Pam”, too – she is very special to my girls!

     We were born 6 days apart at Beard Hospital in Troy. We always wanted to think we were in the nursery together but I was already home by the time she arrived. So…when we celebrate our birthdays in May, what do you give a treasured friend that you haven’t already given her? First, let me go on record as saying she is the BEST at cards and gifts, but I did come up with something unique this year.



I purchased a wooden tray made my a sweet little man at an arts and crafts show, painted it black, filled it (using Mod Podge) with black and white photos depicting our friendship, growing up together. Then I had a glass cut to place over the top.

Most of the pictures, I found through a Google search and converted to black/white. The others were scanned from our school year books.

Included were pictures of: 1) Tootsie Roll Pops – Pam revealed to me in our adult years that she was always jealous of the drawing contest I won during homecoming week in first grade – the prize was Tootsie Roll Pops:) 2) Picture of downtown Brundidge – remembering how we used to go “riding around” all the time and how, when we got our license, we could think of anything and everything we “needed” for school so that we could drive to the Dykes Drugs 3) Student Council, 4) Betsy Clark – we loved some Betsy Clark and Holly Hobby Stuff 5) 21 Club – a social/service organization, 6) Orange Ade – reminding us of the summers when we would go into her Dad’s Barber’s milk truck for a cold drink 7) A map of our neighborhood 8) Pike County Bulldogs from elementary school 9) Cap and gown/diploma from Pike Liberal Arts, 10) Childhood photo and last, but not least 11) The Tastee Freeze – it’s not really our Tastee Freeze but close – when we were young, we aspired to work there. They had the best burgers and soft serve ice cream!

To celebrate my sweet friend, I added an ice cream party – dishes, a cow (she loves cows) ice cream scoop, toppings, napkins, etc.

Thanks, Pam, for the memories! So glad that God blessed me that day we met across that weeded lot on Bowden Street with such a special friend!