Too Many Bubbles

I met my husband, Russ, when I was seventeen. My dad (whom I call Pop) had invited him to come fishing at the lake behind our house. It was clear to me that Pop had invited Russ because he wanted us to meet. I knew this because for weeks he’d been musing aloud about what a nice guy Russ was. He would walk into the room where I was sitting and say to himself, “That Russ Grimes…he’s a prince of a fine fellow,” or, “That Russ Grimes…what a good guy,” and then he’d walk back out. So I wasn’t surprised that afternoon, when Pop said, “Russ Grimes and a friend of his are down at the dock. I want you to take this map to them—it shows all the best fishing spots.” And I, feeling embarrassed about this obvious scheme, laughed and said, “Pop, you can’t be serious.” In response, he gave me a look that was indeed very serious, so I took the map down to the lake…

Russ and I had gone out on maybe one or two dates when he came over to go fishing again. This time though, he found me in the kitchen sweeping an astonishing number of bubbles onto the porch. I had made the mistake of using liquid hand soap in the dishwasher, and guess what? It’s not made for that. You’d be shocked if you could see how many bubbles it produced. If I had not swept them out the door as they poured out of the dishwasher, I really think they would have made it all the way to the ceiling. 

Finding me in this predicament, Russ didn’t miss a beat. He walked right into the sea of bubbles and said, “Have you got another broom?” And before I knew it, he was sweeping right alongside me. We had fun with it. We wrapped towels around our feet and kicked bubbles out the door. We batted them out with hand towels and oven mitts. Pop helped too. Bubbles floated over the deck and down the steps to the driveway. They clung to low branches in frothy clusters and collected on the path leading down to the lake as all three of us worked together to clear them. A Man versus Nature situation, if you count soap bubbles as nature. Anyway, I’ve never seen anything like it before or since.

It was not my finest moment, but it was revealing. Specifically, it revealed two things. One: I knew very little about dishwashers or soap. Two: Russ was a good friend. 

Isn’t it wonderful when a friend is willing to walk along side you in those messy moments that aren’t your finest? Really, I think that’s the definition of friendship. 

If you happen to be going through a lonely time in life where friendship feels elusive—take heart. God is walking alongside you. He sees the beauty in you and He delights in you.

I hope you’re all having a lovely week with only a reasonable amount of bubbles. 

~Amy