Friends

Forgive me, but I'm going a little introspective with this post!


First, I have to tell you that I'm typing this post from a far away destination. No, I'm not on a deserted tropical island with nothing but the sound of waves crashing on the shore and my husband by my side, but the next best thing! I'm in Washington (state, where we used to live), visiting my friend (Meredith) and I'm here by myself while Tripp is home wrangling our kids. He and Mere's husband have been in cahoots and planning this as a surprise for Mere's birthday, which is on Wednesday.


I just got here yesterday (Sunday) morning, but it was such a great day and it really got me thinking about how thankful I am to God for the friends He's put in my life.


When I was 5, on the first day of kindergarten, I met a little girl named Carrie. We were instant best friends and to this day, 27 years later (stop doing the math to figure out how old I am and just keep reading!) with thousands of miles separating us, we are still dear friends.


As if I weren't blessed enough by that friendship, God brought another amazing friend into my life. Meredith and I met in college because our husbands (who were our boyfriends at the time) were roommates. The 4 of us were instant friends and it would take an novel to tell you about what amazing people they are. I think it's rare that when couples are friends, the wives are best friends and the husbands are too. We have a friendship anniversary! It's Valentine's Day, and here's why: on Valentine's Day, in 1998, Tripp and I wanted to go away from our college campus for Valentine's weekend, but since we were dating and held leadership positions with Campus Crusade for Christ, we didn't think it was appropriate for us to go away overnight somewhere by ourselves. So we invited Cory and Mere to join us! Mere and I didn't really know each other very well yet at this point. But this weekend began lifelong friendship that means the world to Tripp and I.


So not only did I get to come here to spend some time with Mere, I've seen a couple of my other friends here as well. My sweet friend Jenae, picked me up from the airport and we had lunch and hung out for a little bit. It was sooo good to see her! She is such a sincere person and I just love spending time with her.

Later in the afternoon, I was able to meet up with a dear friend of mine who was our neighbor when we lived here. In both the houses Tripp and I have owned, we've been BLESSED by amazing neighbors. Sarah, her husband Jamie and their awesome kids are so special to us. I'm so glad that I got to spend time with Sarah and her kids while I was here. She is a genuine friend and I pray that our kids are as well behaved when they are their ages!

There are other friends here in Washington that I hope I get a chance to see. We met some amazing people while we lived here. We are continuing to meet some great friends in our new home in Arizona It just makes me remember that God created us to crave relationships with others. It is our nature. And it is what He desires to have with us as well. It's not about being a "Christian", "Baptist", "Jew", "Mormon", or whatever religious institution you want to affiliate yourself with. It's all about a relationship and simply sharing your life with Him. He sent us Jesus so that we could better relate to God and all He wants is for us to accept who He says He is.

I told you I was going introspective with this one!