Isn't she the cutest?!?
I remember the day McKenzie and I met. I was with my mom, moving into my dorm room at Furman University, scared out of my mind to go to college. Being the oldest child (read, sacrificial lamb of the family) Mom and I had no idea what going to college entailed (y'all, I ordered my bedding through the University. It felt like lavender sandpaper.) So, after moving my meager stuff in, we had to make a run to the local WalMart for things we'd forgotten/ never knew we needed. When we got back, my RA told us that another girl on the hall was moving in. Down the hall, I see the cutest darn girl sporting jeans and a red tee shirt, sandy blond hair pulled back in a barrette, and a sweet smile. We shook hands and she said, "I looked in your room when you were gone to see how you set it up. I hope that's okay." Sure, I nodded. And then, quietly, with the courage and grace that marks this girl, she said, "I also looked at your books and...Are you a Christian?" My eyes welled up. (And still do, actually, in remembering). A friend.
Little did I know that McKenzie Butler would be not only my first friend at Furman but one of the very best. We took history classes together, we played club soccer together, we joined Tridelt together, we went to Chile together--essentially, we experienced college together.
Since those halcyon Furman days, McKenzie has lived in Washington, D.C., participating in the Falls Church fellows program and then working for a microfinance nonprofit. She had fantastic friends and leads a bible study for high school girls. She sometimes even participates in skits. I am often jealous of those who get to spend their days with her in D.C. Who get to hear that infamous cackle laugh, go on late night McFlurry runs, take long walks through the leaves, and listen to her generous wisdom. McKenzie is a friend who will sit with you for hours, who will encourage you with Truth, who will really pray for you in hard times. She has a softness that does not shy away from sorrow. She is the kindest, gentlest, wisest person and I am blessed by her so often, even from far away. (But, McKenz, come on, move to Nashville!!)
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