God's Blessing

Within the past year we have faced some difficult hurtles. Challenges that keep us on our toes and wishing for a reprieve. In spite of all this I have seen a steady stream of blessings coming to me. Of course I know that everything is a Blessing from our Heavenly Father. I think the blessings that have most affected me within this past year have been the friends that God has given me. There are 5 women in my life right now who are amazing and each of them blesses my life in a different way. Each of them fills a different need in my life.

I will start with Amy. I knew Amy back in high school. We weren't really friends.....I only knew her because she dated my brother. I liked her, but we traveled in different circles. We had different friends....and to be honest I NEVER spent much time with my brother. We didn't see or talk to each other in years, not until we started talking on FB. Not only do we enjoy each others company, our kids play together and we are Neighbors. Right around the corner. Close enough to walk or ride bikes (well....if I could ride my bike). Amy is the friend I turn to first. Good, bad, happy or sad.....she gets the call or text right after Hubby (and sometimes Mom....Hi Mom!!). She is my shoulder, my cheer section and sometimes my conscience. I will ask her opinion on everything. Nothing is off limits.

Next is MA. She was my best friend from 8th grade through High school. We were inseparable. Either we were at my house or we were at her house. Always. It was like we were joined at the hip. She was the sister I never had. Things happened and we lost touch. I NEVER stopped thinking about her. I thought about contacting her family to find out about her. But after all those years it was awkward. I knew it was wrong that we weren't still connected at the hip. But making that first step toward contacting a friend is hard. So I started talking to her brother and EVENTUALLY we found each other on Facebook. Again....Facebook gave me back an awesome friend. MA is THE funniest person I have ever known. It is impossible for me to be in a bad mood with her around. She makes me laugh and makes me happy. Seriously, her just being in the same room fills me with joy. It may sound weird, but it is true.

My third amazing friend is Valerie. She is another one of my brother's ex girlfriends....and another friend I found through facebook. I loved Val when she dated my brother. She was one of those bubbly people. And so darn cute! Now Val is a beautiful Christian woman who lets me vent and lets me be her shoulder too. We could talk for hours and feel like we haven't had enough time together.

The next two friends are new friends. I met one in the fall and the other one last week. But I still consider them to be great friends that I couldn't live without. They both were sent to me from God.
I met both Lorraine and Lori through my MOPS group. OK, not really....at least not directly. You see, after I started going to MOPS I decided to try out that church. I needed a new church, desperately. But that's a different post. My very first Sunday I felt overwhelmed and lost. I was trying to get my boys into the correct Sunday school classrooms and was unsure about what I would do for the next hour. I met Lorraine in the hallway. She basically grabbed me up and said "you're coming with me" . She hasn't been able to get rid of me yet! One day her daughters soccer team was playing my sons soccer team and we had the chance to talk. Really talk. We both have a similar situation with our oldest sons. Just knowing someone who understands how I feel and has been through similar things was like a weight lifted off of me. Finally, someone got it. She "got" me.

My most recent friend is Lori. God crossed our paths at a MOPS play date. While all the other moms were chatting in the other room and the kids playing around them....we took our boys out to her garage to bounce in the bounce house. I don't remember who started talking first but it doesn't even matter. All that matters is that we clicked. In a big way. We clicked about many things but mostly we clicked when it came to our faith. And we both wanted and needed a close friend to share our growing faith. Today R and I went back for a play date. Only this time it wasn't the whole MOPS group. It was just us and our boys. And it was perfect. We talked for hours. It felt like I had known Lori for years. I'm comfortable around her. We both can open up and share. How great is that?!? We made plans to meet every week, so the boys can play and we can spend time together with God. Bibles open, prayers being said and hearts being filled.
It doesn't get much better than that!

Believe me when I say that I pray thanks to the Lord everyday. I thank him for my family, friends and everything God does for us. And I always, always say extra prayers for these special friends. Because I love them....and I need them.