Friends

I don't know exactly what it is, but lately I've been thinking a lot about how blessed I am to have Friends. Okay, lets all join hands now and sing..."and friends are friends forever if the Lord's the Lord of them..." Okay, that is enough singing for now. :)

Seriously, though, I have a great little circle of friends who love me, care about me, help me and most importantly PRAY for and with me! So, here's my little tribute to them....

My best friend here on earth truly is my Handsome Hubby, but I'll fill a whole post about him later, because we just celebrated our 10th Anniversary...but he is so fun to be around. He makes me laugh, even when I'm in a bad mood. And, he makes me want to be more like Christ!

My friend who I've known the longest and love the most is my Mom. She is a pleasure to be around. She is my friend I go to for advice on parenting, marriage, and life (because she's lived through more than my other friends who are mostly my own age!) We just recently went out to Caribou Coffee, and we never run out of things to talk about. I would not be the woman I am today without her. Thanks, Mom!

I have a few friends who are my Call Any Time Friends. You know, the ones I can call when I'm having a really bad day, and I don't have to pretend like everything is okay. They are the ones who told me I needed help when I was feeling really down and dark after Ephraim was born. Maybe I should call them my Life-Savers!! These are the friends I Don't clean my house for before they get here, because I know they don't care (or they'll help me do the dishes!)

I have a group of Dinner Group Friends...this is a really fun, encouraging group of friends, both girlfriends and their husbands. We have been getting together once a month for nearly 8 years now, and I look forward to the food and fellowship every month. Our conversation very often centers around God's word, and how it applies to what we're going through right now. I love them all, and miss them when they (or we) miss a dinner.

Then there's my creative friends...these are my friends I meet with to scrapbook or stamp with often. I always feel more creative being around them, they inspire me to make better scrapbooks & stamp more elaborate cards. While we are creatively working on our projects, we often chat about how our lives are going. It is that connection, sharing in their lives that interests me even more than creating together! I am so looking forward to a weekend away with them in just a few weeks!!

Next, I have a group of friends I've gotten to know through church. We each have 3 or 4 children, all under age 10! Last Fall, our 4 families went camping together, and had a great time (despite freezing!!!). We enjoy time spent together, help each other out when needed. We've drawn closer through girls nights and girls weekends. We've prayed for each other through miscarriages and difficult pregnancies. We give and take advice on parenting and marriage. They each make me want to be more like Christ in different ways...submitting to her husband, so gentle with her children, patience in difficulties, showing love and grace,....and now one of them is moving far, far away! You will be missed!!

Lastly, I have my "Practically Related" Friends...these include the women married to my distant cousins, and my soon-to-be Sister-In-Law. We may not spend large quantities of time together, but I always enjoy time spent with each of them. They are godly women (some of whom I've seen grow into just that!), and I so enjoy seeing God's hand working in their lives as they've become wives and moms.

So, to all of my Friends, I say Hurrah!! and Keep up the Great Work!! Keep pressing on toward the goal...to be more like Christ in every aspect of your life. You are doing a great job as wife and mom. Keep it up! And, you are a wonderful friend! Love you all!!