"Friendship is not a big thing, it's a million little things."
"Friendship is like a precious flower, ready to bloom every hour. It may stop growing or keep on flowing, but you'll still have it forever."
One can find a million quotes on friendship, and one can go on and on about all the different friendships in his or her life. I may be biased, but I think my friends are pretty awesome. I am beyond thankful for the way the Lord has placed people in my life. It's crazy how He is able to orchestrate our lives and cross our paths right when we need someone the most. In high school there were a few years when I didn't have many friends, but God placed me in an amazing youth group where I made some of my best friends. In college I found myself surrounded by fun, supportive, encouraging, and loyal friends, mentors, and professors who constantly poured into my life. At camp, the Indian Reservation, weddings, and through other travels, people have been placed into my life at just the right time. As I grow older, I am also learning the importance of friendships in my family, actually becoming friends with my mom and dad and brothers. I love that though sometimes it's months between catch up conversations, or years between reunions, I constantly finding myself being able to pick up right where we left off. How awesome it is to know people have my back and love me for who I am.
The coolest thing about friendship though is the fact it is biblically based. Our first friend was Jesus. Our first love was Jesus. Yes, our friends here on earth are awesome, but we aren't perfect. Jesus set the bar pretty high when it comes to being a good friend. Through Him we see unconditional love, compassion, humility, generosity, overwhelming grace and forgiveness, and encouragement. And the best thing about Jesus being our example in friendship...He will never let us down. Ever. As much as I strive to be the best friend around, I know that I will never be perfect. A friend is someone who listens when we have complaints, frustrations, hurts, or worries. Someone who goes above and beyond to surprise you with a small gift, note of encouragement, free coffee, or a good morning text. Someone who rejoices with your accomplishments and mourns with your tough times. Someone who makes you laugh, puts up with your sarcastic remarks, sits on the couch with you when you feel like being lazy, or offers you a shoulder to cry on when you've had a bad day. Someone who will take adventures with you, support you in your decisions, challenge you to seek Christ, and prays with you and for you regularly.
Over the past few months I have been overwhelmed by the Lord's faithfulness in my life. Jump into my life with me for a minute. Imagine leaving everything and everyone you know in your life, packing up your car, and driving across the country. Imagine settling into a city where you know no one, a job where you have no clue where anything is, and a city where you constantly have to use your GPS. What a humbling experience it is to take up travel nursing, to leap into the unknown. To know I can't rely on myself to find friends in an unknown place. I'm forever grateful for family, high school, college, and Birmingham friends who constantly check on me during my travels, who send me snail mail and cookies, Facetime with me, and keep me posted on life back South. But, I'm also overwhelmingly thankful for the new friends I've met. For the people who have invited me to hang out, cooked me dinner, planned hang outs with me in mind, let me live with them, introduced me to their friends, gone on walks with me, and accompanied me on explorations. God is good and faithful, He won't let us down. He knows we need friends in our life.
just a glimpse...
Had the pleasure and honor of being a part of the field dedication of Mabson Field in Austin, a brand new Astroturf baseball field in the heart of East Austin.
My Thursday nights this spring were spent on the kickball field with this crew of hilarious girls.
The volunteers and staff of RBI Austin welcomed me in with open arms, such a joy it was serving alongside and hanging out with these people.
Loved getting to live with these two goofballs and their amazing mom for a few months.
Despite how much I'm not in Birmingham, the people there still warmly welcome me every time I come home. These girls are awesome.
Best friends since middle school. And we still manage to put up with each other.
My first day back in Bham just so happened to be the last day of Spring games for Northstar, couldn't help but stop by the fields for some quality hang outs and selfies.
What's up now? Birmingham for the summer and back to work at UAB, with weddings and traveling in between. As for late July/August, only God knows...
