What to Do with Your Best Friend. . .

or what not to do. . . according to Joshua.

Joshua informed me of something quite disturbing this morning as we sat on the back porch. He said this. . .
"Mommy, do you know what you do when you have a best friend? Do you know what you do to them?"
Wanting to hear more, I said, "No, tell me. What do you do to your best friend?"
In all seriousness, this was his answer. . .

"You make them lay down in front of your car. Then, you run over them and squish them real good." Seeing a look of shock and horror come over my face, he added, "That's what Daddy told me."
A bit confused, I said, "Um, that's what Daddy told you? Daddy told you to lay your best friend in the road and run over him? Are you sure that is what he said?"
With all the confidence in the world, Joshua said, "Yes, that is what he told me. . . A long time ago, he told me that."

When Daddy and JCT got home from the grocery, we sat down to lunch. And, at this point I think it only wise to add this little tip that I learned today. Never, never send your husband to the grocery hungry. Feed him first. I thought he would never finish bringing in the grocery bags. The more bags he brought in - the bigger my eyes got. Full plastic Wal-Mart bags covered my kitchen floor. I literally had to reorganize my pantry, fridge, and freezer to fit all the new stuff, the stuff that was not on my very neat, organized, and easy to read grocery list. Donuts, Trix, Cheetos, on and on. . . I am still debating what to do about this. . . Do I let him go for me again and risk getting way more than I asked for? Or is this his way of trying to work himself out of a job? And, that would just be way too easy. . .

Back to the story, we are eating our lunch at the kitchen table. And, I say, "Joshua told me something really interesting today." Erik asked, "What?" I instructed Joshua, "Tell Daddy what he told you to do to your best friend." So, Joshua told Erik exactly what he told me. Put the friend in front of your car and run over him. And, don't forget, then, you squish him real good. Erik looked at me confused. Joshua assured Erik that he had told him this a long time ago. Then, Erik and I made eye contact, and it clicked!

Joshua had heard us tell the story of Erik and his best buddy Sean saying goodbye when we left Georgia. Erik and Sean were in the same residency program. Erik had been accepted into a Fellowship program in Florida, and Sean still had two more years of residency left in Georgia. We sold our home and moved in with Sean and Deana for the last month of Erik's residency. When we left their home for Florida, it was late one June evening. It was so hard to leave Sean and Deana because we are like family. We tearfully said our goodbye's, then Erik got in his Expedition, and I got in my car. And, right as Erik was about to pull out of Sean and Deana's driveway, Sean jumped in front of Erik's truck which was facing the road. He layed down in front of Erik's truck and refused to let him go saying that Erik would have to run over him first. It was a moment none of us will ever forget. I can still see Sean laying there smiling up at Erik. There we all were crying and laughing at the same time. It is a story we love to tell, perhaps because the moment was so like our friendship - completely endearing yet full of laughter and fun!

Now, obviously, Erik did not run over Sean and squish him. Joshua just added that part because he is a boy, and I am learning that boys like squishing things. And, squishing is okay when it is done to ants or beetles, but not to friends, my sweet Joshua, we don't squish our friends. . .