Honestly, Sandie

Everybody needs a friend whose first response is, “Yeah, we can build that.”

Need a stage? She’s already sketching it. Need a giant foam airplane? Back the truck up. Need your computer fixed? Give her five minutes. Hair needs cut? She’s got you. Throwing hay? Sure. Running a business? Also yes.

It’s almost irritating how useful she is.

She taught me to use a hot knife on foam board instead of making a blizzard of Styrofoam pellets. That pretty much sums us up. I’d show up with another ridiculous idea. She’d already know the better way to do it.

She also has exactly zero interest in pretending. If she has a question, she asks it. If she disagrees, you’ll know. If you’re being ridiculous, she’ll save everyone some time and point it out. I have always appreciated people who don’t require a decoder ring.

We built Vacation Bible School stages, taught classrooms together, planned retreats, took road trips, photographed weddings and families, and spent more hours than I could count turning piles of supplies into something kids thought was magical. Funny how the projects fade first. The people don’t.

Life carried us in different directions. Jobs. Moves. Kids. Distractions. Every once in a while I catch myself wishing I could call her and say, “I’ve got an idea.” She’d probably interrupt me halfway through and say, “When do we start?”

I gave her Labradorite.

Most gemstones don’t change much once you pick them up.

Labradorite does.

Move it an inch and the whole thing lights up. Blue. Gold. Green. Another angle, another surprise. The colors were always there. The light just finally found them.

That’s what knowing her feels like.

Every time I thought I’d reached the end of the list, she’d casually mention another skill. Another business. Another project. Another thing she somehow knew how to do.

The song says, “Every little thing she does is magic.”

I don’t know about magic.

I do know I’ve never met another friend quite like her.

So if you’ve made it this far, hit play on  “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by The Police⁠.

You’ll get it.