Friends are Friends forever if the Lord's the Lord of them......Just kidding. How many times WAS that song played at graduations over the years????
Anyway, I have been thinking a lot about friends and friendships over the past several weeks. I have been blessed with very special, dear friends whom I cherish and love.
With the advent of Facebook, I've been able to reconnect with a number of cherished friends from childhood, high school, college and later. Having moved every 3 years or so while I was growing up, made making and maintaining friendships a bit of a challenge. But having an electronic way to do that now is such an incredible blessing to me. It is fun to be able to reconnect with those people who knew you when you were a child and liked to play with barbie dolls and pretend to be 'teenagers'. Or those friends who remember that specific pub you used to hang out in a small German village in high school (hey, there was no drinking age there - the local hangout was really a pub). Or those friends from college who remember those crazy spring break trips to Daytona Beach where you shared Jesus with a myriad of drunk people (don't know how effective that really was!). Or friends you spent hours in the morning getting ready with using up cans and cans of AquaNet to make sure your hair stayed nice and big. As I reconnect with these old friends it has made me remember how blessed I am by how faithful God has always been to give me special friends over the years.
In addition to reconnecting with friends via the web, it has been an incredible few weeks getting to spend time with friends in person as well. Started back in November when James and I took an anniversary trip to Orlando. While there we got to have dinner a couple times with our dear, close friends, the Blumes. Having been in each others weddings and shared many tears, laughter, secrets and bits of advice, it is like hanging out with another sister and brother. So grateful for them. How fun to hang out with the Sassers for dinner recently. Having worked, played and vacationed with Amy for over seven years, they are such good friends whom I always enjoy hanging out with and wish I had more time to spend with on a regular basis. Going to a party where I got to see people I hadn't seen in over 25 years. Getting to reconnect with Hutch and Patty, spend time with Jennifer and meet her new hubbie, Mark and tell and retell stories from good ol' Perry, Florida. Hug the necks of people who have known me since I was a toddler or watched me walk to first grade as a small girl. Not to mention, my own sweet parents and sisters who are always near by or at least just a phonecall or text message away. I can't begin to describe how incredible it is for me to spend time with these people when often times we were only in the same place as them for a few years at most.
Most recently, the Lord has blessed me with some wonderful new friends too. Friends who we do life with weekly at church and in our small group. Friends whom I can always count on to pray for me and my family, worship with on Sundays and even hang out at the local Mexican restaurant from time to time.
Then there are the special ladies that I've never had the privilege of meeting in person, but have given me wonderful advice, prayed for me, encouraged me and supported me, many since before Jack was born.
Although the bank account would by no means register me as being rich, when you look at how wonderful and special are those I have the honor and privilege of calling friends, I'm truly a wealthy woman.
Thank you my dear friends for putting up with my crazy non-stop busyness, fast-talking, sometimes loud ways. For standing with me, loving me as I am and being there for me! I love you all!
Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one." ~~ C.S. Lewis
