August 1, 2012

Wow!  August already!  Amazing!  It's funny because more than half our summer was anticipating the move--which never did happen.  Yet, as much as disappointment jaded a couple of days, more of them have been full of fun and friends.  Two necessities for an awesome summer!

Today I thank God for the women in my life I am lucky to call friends.  The first group is relatively "new" to me as far as getting together goes.  My job share partner has opened her heart and home to me this summer and I am grateful.  Not only did the time help me to get to know her better, but my kids experienced and were blessed by fun days in the pool with new people to call friends too.  Here's the thing, many of the girls have known each other a long time--some even having attended high school together, but they embraced me, included me, and I can honestly call them all friends now, and the kids have expanded their circle too.

Then there is the friend who I met back in college in our counseling program.  The woman was a life preserver in a tumultuous time of my life. Then due to some unexpected circumstances, she was out of my life for a while, but God gifted her back to me for the long haul and for that I am forever grateful.  She is the type of friend that I may not talk to every day but the love runs deep and she would do anything for me.  Her best friends are all from their high school days--a true testament to the type of friend she is!  The girls have stories, adventures, both comic and tragic that have shaped them through the years. . .and this group also embraces me when we get together and it doesn't feel awkward or forced.  It is just fun.  I am so blessed! Really I am.

There were coffee dates too.  You know those friends who know life with three littles can get a little hectic but they show up anyway?   Yes, I'm blessed by those types of friends too.  Ones that enjoy sitting in the backyard with me catching up while the kids play, or the ones that show up with Starbucks in hand--ready to catch up on all the goodness summer has offered.  The ones who understand getting out isn't always easy, and coffee isn't always uninterrupted but they show up anyway because you matter.  This summer, these women who have taken time to include me, listen to me, and embrace me and my little ones--have touched my heart immeasurably.

In the midst of all the anticipated change this season, fun with friends was constant.  Time with these ladies was therapeutic, soul food, a feast for this weary mama who felt like limbo was the name of this life.  Grateful.  Thankful. Blessed.

 Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.-Proverbs 11:14