Visiting a friend

Earlier this week my friend Amy (Degnan) Schaffer flew into town from her home in Kansas. She came to visit her mom with her week old son - William.

Who is Amy? Amy and I met when we both lived in Duluth and worked at KDLH Newschannel 3 (CBS affiliate). I was working part time on the assignment desk and doing some reporting, after completing an intership at the station. Amy then got hired on as a full time reporter (a position I had applied for.) We were both fresh out of college. When she arrived in Duluth, she was shacking up in a hotel, while searching for an apartment. After completeing his own TV intership at a competitive station, my then friend only Mark had departed as my roommate in Duluth for a job in Alexandria, MN. This left me with a two bedroom apartment lease, an empty room, and need for someone to pay the rent. I walked up to Amy on her first day on the job and pretty much said, "Hey, you want to come check out my apartment?" She looked friendly and nice. We have been friends ever since. We also made great roommates. I spent many mornings yelling at her to wake her up. Seems alarms were never very effective for her. After Duluth, I moved to Madison, and she moved to Witchita (both of us moved on to climb the TV job ladder.)

We both got married, naturally. We both left TV news. Amy returns home to MN to her mom's house in Eden Prairie for holiday's and family events. This red head is a regular visitor at the Degnan house the day after Christmas. They can pretty much just expect that I am going to show up.

Anyway, Amy came back Tuesday with her new son (leaving hubby and two daughter's at home) to introduce the babe to Grandma Maureen. Amy's mom Maureen is in my prayers DAILY... more then once a day. She is battling cancer. Amy's mom is a very special woman. Over the years, she has touched and warmed my heart in a very mom-like way. When I got married I had a very tough time with out my mom. Somehow Amy's mom reached out it just the right way, at just the right moment, and for this, I will hold her dear forever. It was something little and simple, but it mattered so much to me. Maureen went on to lay out my whole wedding program for me... just because she wanted to help!

Yesterday, I popped over to Eden Prairie for a quick visit to Amy, her new son, and her mom. I will continue to pray for all.