Long before I was born, my Mema was watching children & caring for them daily. Throughout the years, she babysat many kids. Of them, was one named Chris. Or, as some of the family called him..Buster. When we would travel to AL to visit, oftentimes, Chris was around. I remember one year, Chris came to St. Louis with my Mema, Papa & Uncle Roger. Chris came from a broken home & did not have the best family situation to live in growing up. He looked at my Papa as a father figure. Like most kids, Chris began to get older & no longer was there a need for someone to watch him. As he moved into the teens, he rarely saw my grandparents. Probably my last memory of seeing Chris was when I was around 10 or so. I never did see him again until he appeared at my Papa's funeral in 2000. Even then, we did not speak to one another. After my Papa died, he began to visit my Mema fairly often taking his wife & 2 girls with him. Several years ago, while my mom was down visiting in the spring, Chris showed up. He was preparing to leave for Iraq with the ARMY. He asked about me. I went to stay a week during the summer that year & he was home for his R&R time. He came & for the first time since we were kids, we sat down & began to talk. Though we had not seen or talked to one another in years, I felt like we had never been apart & I was talking to one of my best friends. I was so encouraged to hear him talk about his faith & meet his lovely wife & see how God had been at work in their lives. As we parted ways that afternoon, I promised to write to him once he returned back to Iraq. I kept my word. My parents saw him after he had returned home from his deployment & he had sent gifts for me--special things from Iraq that I will treasure forever. We have seen each other several times since & each time, it is a pleasure. After my health problems last year, I was shocked when he called me one day to ask how I was. He expressed great concern & let me know that if I needed anything at all to give him a call. I remember laughing & saying, "Yeah cause I'm sure you'll just hop on a plane & be right here to help too!" Which, I was getting at the fact that AL is not just a hop, jump & a skip away. Chris assured me that if I truly needed something, he would be headed here to help. Somehow, I know he was not kidding either. Despite losing contact for 15+ years, he has proven what a great friend he is & how much he loves me. I love him too. When I look at Chris, I see God's faithfulness as He has taken this rebellious kid headed down (& taken on) a dangerous path & pointed him to Himself & completely changed his life. Chris is still in the National Guard & thankfully, has not been deployed since his last tour of duty. He is married with 2 children-both girls. I am hoping that one day, they'll make it here to visit & allow me to show them around St. Louis.
