Big thanks to Katie

Katie very kindly said she would lend me her ninth grade Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology text and other student materials. Her three girls have all used it and benefited from this excellent science program and I thought it was beyond amazing that she was willing to lend me this set, considering that I still have her Peter Milward book titled The Catholicism of Shakespeare's Plays, which she lent me about eighteen months ago. I love that book so much, it's all I can do to keep from sleeping with it under my pillow, nights. It's also unfortunately hard to come by - the people at Amazon tried to find it for me for eight months before they threw in the towel. So I still have the book, and yet Katie is willing to lend me more!

She brought the books to me at Moms' Night Out last Monday. To Katie, I was returning a single paperback book that Beck had lent to Meelyn and I was terribly pleased with myself for remembering to not only put it in the car but also give it to her once I saw her. I drove around for a month with one of Katie's Tupperware pieces on the front seat next to me for about four months, during which time I saw her several times a week. Yes, I know. If I were her, I'd never send homemade brownies home with me again either. Or if I did, I'd wrap them in a used paper napkin and say, "Here. You don't merit a more permanent container because you are a bird brain."

Anyway, when we met in the parking lot at O'Charley's, she said, "Wait a second and I'll give you the materials." She went to her van and lugged out this enormous shopping bag and dragged it over to me. When I saw its size and heft, I felt immediate misgivings about the scope of the Apologia science program, thinking wildly, "How many PAGES does that book HAVE??!!"

It turns out that the book is just the regular size you'd expect from a high school level science text; what was adding weight to the bag was the microscope that Katie also lent us. I was very nearly moved to tears. I thought I was going to have to buy a microscope with the tax incentive check (that finally came in the mail yesterday), and here's Katie, lending me her expensive microscope out of the clear blue.

I'll tell you: there are friends who will give you brownies and lend you books, but when they lend you their microscope, that's when you know that they believe your friendship is for keeps.

Thank you, Katie, for your generosity. You are an amazing friend.