Six

Six

            “Road Trip!”  The three women yelled as they settled into their seats and buckled up.  Melissa smiled at her besties who chatted away as she drove through Newport.  It was their annual fall trip along the coast. They had fanatically watched weather reports so they could pick the perfect day for peak fall colors.  After several rainy days the sun had come out making it a glorious day for their outing.

            “How many years does this make?” Jan asked from the passenger seat.

            “More than I care to count,” Petite Diana leaned forward, “How is it I always get stuck in the back seat.”

            “Cuz you’re never quick enough to yell shotgun,” Jan’s clear blue eyes taunted her. 

            “No way,” Dark eyes flashing Diana stuck her tongue out, “more like you cheat!”

            “Hey whatever you need to tell yourself old girl,” Returning the sentiment by sticking her tongue out at Diana.

            “Now girls,” Melissa laughed, “Don’t make me separate the two of you.”

            “Ha! As if you could,” Jan retorted, “That school bus driver tone doesn’t work on us!”

            “Don’t even try!” Diana stated. “I sure wish Mary could have come.  It won’t be the same without her.”

            “You just don’t like being back there by yourself,” Jan grinned.

            “Hey toots,” Diana said, “You’re riding back here on the way home.”

            “Works for me!  I’ll get my afternoon nap in that-a-way!”

            “You have an answer for everything, don’t you!”

            “Yeppers!”  Jan agreed with a flounce of her hand, “Ask me anything and I’ll have an answer for you!”

            “Good grief!” Melissa interjected, “Is this the way it’s going to be all day with you two. If so, I’m turning the car around!”

            “NO!”  They cried in unison, then talked over one another promising to behave themselves. 

            Melissa laughed at her two oldest friends all too common antics. They were always trying to one up one another. If anyone had ever kept score, she was certain it would come down to a draw as to who succeeded the most.  She listened as they talked about kids, grandkids and mutual friends, catching up on one another’s family gossip. 

            She recalled the many trips they’d taken, my how they’d changed.  Time had been good to them. They may be in their sixties. But Lord knew they didn’t act like it.  The best description she could she could think of was the title of a book she’d read.  They had become The Girls with the Grandmother Faces and relished it with gusto.

            “Hey,” Jan punched her shoulder, “aren’t you listening to us.”

            “Now why would I want to listen to the two you of,” she mockingly answered.

            “Maybe because we’re so interesting,” Jan flippantly said as Diana agreed with her.

            “Ok!  I give!” Melissa rolled her eyes, “what am I supposed to be listening to?”

            “Diana was telling me this cool revelation,” Jan explained. “I think you’ll really like it.”

            “I’m all ears,” Melissa said.

            “You know how you’ve said the verse in Revelation that says the ‘testimony of Jesus is the spirit of Prophecy’ has always intrigued you?”  Diana rhetorically asked and Mellissa nodded.

            “And that you took that verse and made it personal,” Jan added with excitement, “By saying the testimony of Melissa is the Spirit of …, and you didn’t know what to fill in the blank with?”

            “Yes, I’ve spent months trying to figure it out and hear what the Spirit is saying to me,” Melissa stated.

            “Well I believe Diana knows what to fill the blank in with,” Jan hinted.

            “Really,” Melissa looked back at Diana who grinned with delight.

            “Drum roll please,” Jan began tapping on the dash as Diana broadly grinned and said with a flourish, “The testimony of Melissa is the spirit of WONDER!”

            Melissa’s eyes welled up as her heart bore witness to Diana’s proclamation.  Her voice filled with awe as she responded, “Wonder! Wow! I would never have imagined that description.  I like it!”

            “There’s more,” Jan’s eyes gleamed with excitement, “Tell her Diana!”

            “I took each letter and came up with what they stand for and how they describe you.

                                    W = wild, weird, wacky!

                                    O = out of this world!

                                    N = not ordinary!

                                    D = definitely!

                                    E = Extraordinarily!

                                    R = Rare!”

            “Isn’t that cool!” Jan said with glee. “It so fits you!”

            “Way cool! I’m absolutely blown away!” She looked at Diana in the rearview mirror, “You are amazing my friend!”

            “You’re the one who’s always saying; I wonder about this! I wonder about that! And you have such a childlike wonder about the things of God. I knew that I knew that’s how to finish that statement for you,” She broadly grinned.

            “I do say I wonder a lot don’t I,” her brow knit together then mischievously grinned, “so you think I’m weird and wacky?”

            “Absolutely!” Jan declared, “We wouldn’t be friends if you weren’t.”

            “But,” Diana began, “You are, definitely extraordinarily rare and I wouldn’t want you to be any other way!”

            “You guys are going to make me cry,” She uttered.

            “Don’t worry we won’t let it go to your head,” Jan smirked with gracious delight.

            “Tell me again what did the O stand for.”

            “That one stood for out of this world,” Diana explained.  “You’re always talking about how you plan on traveling through wormholes in eternity.”

            “Yea,” Jan laughed, “People don’t realize what a Sci-Fi nerd you are and what a huge fan of Stargate SG1 you were.”

            “Hey, not ‘were’ a fan, but ‘are’ a fan!  I don’t care how long it’s been off the air. I have them all recorded and I can watch it whenever I want to,” Melissa stated with emphasis. 

            “Unfortunately,” Jan dramatically rolled her eyes, “We know this about you!”

“Don’t forget I told my sister, Jennifer, that with our age difference she’ll probably be the one to plan my funeral.  I want her to include in the slide show a wormhole and pictures of nebula’s and such to show where I’m off to!  I plan on exploring every inch of God’s creation,” She nodded for effect.

“Hence the reason ‘wonder’ so aptly describes your testimony.  Ever since I’ve known you your faith does not follow normal religious,” Diana paused searching, as usual, for a diplomatic word then grinned as she announced, “protocols!  You have always been outside the box so I can see you traveling through wormholes, easy peasy!”

The three friends giggled as they imagined Melissa traveling through wormholes.  They were quite the trio, a mutual friend who had died many years ago, would call Melissa, Jan, Diana and Mary her four Musketeers.  They had started their faith journey together when in their late twenties. They remembered their faith childhood with fondness and thanksgiving for how gracious Father God and His son Jesus had been with them.

As they drove along, they marveled at the beauty and splendor of the Oregon coastline. They never tired of the view; craggy rocks, mist lingered in hidden coves that created their own rainbows, the layers of red, yellow and gold that dotted the landscape. Time and again they ohhed and ahhed snapping pictures through the car windows and stopping at their favorite pull outs for selfies. Mary was going to be so jealous she couldn’t come with them.  They agreed this was one of the most spectacular fall days they’d witnessed. 

Jan began to hum and soon they were singing songs of praise at the top of their lungs. It didn’t matter that they were a little off key now and then. The pure joy of expressing their love of God and His creation filled them with His peace that was beyond understanding.