Friends

Friends have always been very important to me. As an only child I really valued my friends and many have become like family to me.

When I was little Sarah was my best friend. She lived just a block away and although we went to different schools we managed to see each other more days than not. Honestly I don't remember a day not knowing her.

Then there was a group of girls in high school that I was great friends with. Those three girls were an incredible blessing to me and their influence in my life, I believe, played a large role in shaping the choices I made. One of them, Sarah, was the one who first introduced me to Christ through her youth group and her life. Her friendship was of eternal value to me and to this day I consider her a very good friend.

And then there was Kate- through some of high school, college, and after college she was my best friend. I will never again have a friendship like I had with Kate. And even now, separated by many states, I can't help but think of her as my sister. We are incredibly different and we don't get to talk all that often, but somehow I just know that, like a sister, Kate will always be a part of my life.

And then I moved to Maine when Joe and I got married and friendships became a little more difficult. Oh, I would make a new friend or two, but then they would so often move. I lived the first 25 years of my life surrounded by wonderful girlfriends, but Maine was proving to be difficult friendship ground. Tears were shed, prayers were prayed, and I did my best just to keep moving forward and trusting that God would bring the right friends at the right time.

To be honest this is still at times a little bit of a challenge for me. But...over the last couple of years God has blessed me incredibly with a few special friendships.

Laura is one of them (pictured above with her daughter Lily). She is one of the most giving, caring, others-centered, encouraging people I know. She's the kind of person who comes over for a visit and bring ME a chai latte because she was thinking of me and knows that I love them. She is always thinking of others (and this is just the smallest example). Her daughter, Lily, is just two months older than my Lily and already the two of them are great friends (like two peas in a pod when they are playing princess dress up).

I am so thankful to God for the blessing of friendship He has given me over the years. And I am so thankful for the ways He has been answering my recent prayers with friends like Laura.