I need relationships like I need food. My soul will wither and wilt without the sweet fellowship I have with so many amazing women. 


A wee bit challenging with the current lifestyle, no? 


Several moments finally compelled me to share. 


First, this post on in (courage). She is wise and encouraging, and oh so correct. I don’t have the sign, but I am fairly sure I reek of desperation at times. 


Second, I had a conversation with a dear heart friend on Sunday and we were talking about the relationship piece of my life and how it fits into moving ALL THE TIME, okay I exaggerate, but still, we move a lot. She was expressing sympathy for the hard parts, because she is stellar at being empathetic and encouraging, and while I did take a moment to wallow, (Hey I’m human!) it forced me to take a step back and embrace the lovely parts. 


In the church service, as a congregation, we read the above quote, reinforcing what I had been contemplating from my conversation … the lovely parts. 


Think about the phrase “… in each other’s gifts and graces … “  – Isn’t it a comfort to know that on a hard day I can call a friend and rest on HER gifts. That we can share and commiserate in a spirit of love and encouragement. And not just one friend … there are so many …. 


That tomorrow when I drive fifty minutes (One way!) to spend two hours with an incredible and incredibly diverse group of women, I have comfort in the knowledge that I absolutely will can break down and admit total failure in my parenting and have them encourage and exhort me based on their own experience and knowledge – their graces and gifts.  


(By the way ladies … it’s comin …)


In each place we’ve moved, I have arrived with trepidation, with such a fear of the unknown, with a sure knowledge that nothing, NOTHING could replace the relationships I just left, the bonds made and strengthened through life, faith, and shared experience. 


Turns out I was right …. 


Nothing can replace the relationships built in each location, but, and pay attention, because here is the lovely part of my life … 


EVERY TIME … And I do mean every time … the Lord provides NEW, different, and equally treasured relationships. I don’t have to sacrifice the old to have the new. They multiply. I get to have more and more. I don’t have the words to convey how astounded I am at the ladies God provides and how they humble me, teach me, encourage me and love me. 


They have walked me through deep dark moments and loved me well through it.


Don’t get me wrong, the beginning is hard. It’s a dance – a soft footed,  imperfectly pitched, story sharing, vulnerable, awkward, hard conversation having, wall shattering, persistent dance towards Christ, towards being real friends who cherish each other’s hearts and smooth the edges. It’s discouraging even now to think about the first steps, the opening moves. 


The payoff, though. Totally worth it. 


All my friends will tell you that email is my Everest. I am TERRIBLE. Not so hot at returning the FB messages either. But, the bonds are there. The graces, the moments … that never goes way. And because the Lord has multiplied them across my life, they stretch from coast to coast (literally), they stretch across time, across distance. They stretch and they strengthen in the knowledge that in a moment, we can have communion in our graces and gifts. 


FB messages from college roommates. Blog posts written by high school friends that pierce my heart and sooth my soul. Mini vacations in Chattanooga, TN, in Pinehurst and Fayetteville, NC, 24 – 48 hours of  nonstop catching up, memories, and sharing in God’s graces. Bethel fishing vacays. Titus 2 women … in Georgia, in North Carolina, in Alaska, in Kansas. Using FB to connect across continents. Poems in the mail. SA friends we see every year because they had the good sense to live in the same town as our family. Kosovo roomies I get to hang out with in unlikely places. A group of women I will drive two hours for  … to spend two hours with. The list goes on forever …. 


So don’t feel too sorry for me. It’s a good life … hard, but oh so good. This is just one of a million reasons why. 


Tonight I have grace, but mostly thanksgiving and joy for the women in my life. There’s no special deep scripture exposition here. Just gratitude for the lives we weave. 


I don’t tell you enough. You feed my soul. 


Love.


~M. 


P.S. I have been scrolling through tons of pictures but a) can’t decide, and b) don’t have permission and c) don’t want to embarrass anyone …. most of all, myself. 


P.S.S. The Bethel vacay pictures are on FB though. So are many others ….