Both of them were trying to be brave - sobbing but laughing at the same time.
"Promise me you'll email often?" Manang Pacita asked her best friend as she sipped her coffee in her coffee shop, Pacita's Pa-Kape.
"Of course!" Manang Biday replied. "I'll send you photos of Canada."
"I'll grow wings and fly to visit you!" Manang Pacita joked.
Then they booth stood up, hugged each other tightly, and Manang Pacita said, "God bless your trip."
In tears, Manang Biday ran to the waiting van, almost colliding with Teo in the doorway.
"Teo, there you are!" Manang Pacita said. "I have some yummy patupat for you. Have you found Arsab yet?"
Teo couldn't speak. He just shook his head.
"Oh, don't be sad, Teo," Manang Pacita told him. "My best friend just left me. She'll fly to Canada and live there!"
Teo nodded.
"I will miss her, but it's going to be OK," she explained. "In life, people come and go, so do pets. But I am sure you know that God never leaves us. He makes us remember the wonderful times we had with our loved ones who have moved away from us."
Teo nodded again.
"Now… hungry enough for patupat?"
Teo beamed, "Yes, Manang Pacita!"
***
Prayer:
Bless my friend _______ who is far away, Lord. Protect him/her always. Amen.
Memory verse:
"Don't be frightened. The Lord your God will go with you. He will not leave you or forget you." Deuteronomy 31:6b
“Quiet Time with Mateo – 52 Weekly Devotions for Children” is published by OMF Literature, Inc. and available at leading bookstores.