Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The thoughtfulness of friends

Today, I was reminded how blessed I am to have such great friends from all walks of life.

1. One of my good nursing friends sent me a sweet text message thinking of me.
Katelyn reminded me of the solid relationships I built in nursing school;
of girls [and a couple guys!] trying to become what we thought we were supposed to be
while dealing with the chaos and ups and downs of life.
I felt sad as I thought back on all the laughs and tears we all shared,
coffee dates and frozen yogurt runs (all the way up to last week with Mahea!),
study dates, late night phone calls, and 30-email-chains.
I'm so thankful for nursing friends.

2. Katie joined me at Bible study tonight.
She reminded me of what joy overflowing really looks like
in the midst of feeling overwhelmed, excited, and nervous.
Katie and I had coffee last night, and she blesses my life immensely.
We chatted about life, love, and the Lord.
I love that conversations with her are always centered around the Lord.
Katie and Mark were our first friends we made since getting married.
I'm so thankful for married friends.

3. A friend from church brought me a thoughtful gift 'just because.'
Amanda reminded me of the power of thoughtfulness.
We're cooking buddies, even though we've never cooked together.
And she saw her favorite cookbook and thought of me.
Amanda is one of the many amazing women I have met at YMC.
These ladies have been such a blessing in a time of transition to a new church,
looking for a place to belong.
They remind me that marriage is hard, but oh so worth it;
that life is worth living, even though it's truly challenging;
and that God is the one and only hope, and He's ever present.
I'm so thankful for YMC friends.

4. On my way home from bible study, I checked my phone to receive two voicemails from A and J.
They had coffee and both drove home and thought of me.
Jess and Al reminded me of my days at Point Loma,
all the growth that was experienced, the beauty embraced, the maturing in the works.
It's amazing how four years (or 3.5) can be so life-changing. How one or two friends can change your life.
And yet, these girls have. And continue to.
Trials we never thought would come, opportunities we never anticipated arising.
We may go for awhile without chatting, but when we see each other, it's like we never left.
I love the way conversation is easy and for a few minutes, I can slip into the college mindset
where we used to meet at the cafe for coffee and a study date, or late night dorm chats.
I'm so thankful for college friends.

Friendship is an amazing thing. It's such a joy to look at all the different avenues of life and see the relationships that were created in that time, and are still strong today.

5. And then to look at God's Word and see His desire for friendship with us.

"The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant."
Psalm 23:14

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."
 John 15:13-15


I'm so thankful for my friends.
And I'm so humbled that my Savior calls me friend.

1 comment:

  1. It's so great to take time and enjoy your friendships. I've been making an effort to do more of this during senior year. Sometimes it's hard to remember.

    It sounds like you have wonderful friends! I hope you can continue these friendships for years and years to come through every joyous moment and challenge ahead.

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