My Friend

I was wondering what I could write about, and my friend was helping me brainstorm.  She facetiously suggested herself as the topic and did a little cheeky twirl. Since she knows me well, she quickly followed up with a deep-voiced, "Don't write about me." But she does know me well, so I'm gonna! 

It's a great idea because support is everything. We were made by a triune God Whose very essence is relational. It's no wonder that people are pivotal to our success through various seasons of life. We have been extravagantly blessed with friends. We are astonishingly and undeservedly RICH with people who walk through fire with us! I will tell you about one now.

When you go through the foster parent licensing process, you get asked endlessly about your support system. And for good reason. This oughtn't be done alone. We were blessed this time (our third licensing class) by sitting immediately behind strangers who are now seeing us through some of the most challenging and grace-filled moments of our lives.

This woman is the heart of her family, and what a heart she has! She brought dinner to us when the girls first arrived--then left, knowing we needed to cocoon ourselves to form a new family. She has listened to me for hours that add up to months as I vent, worry, gush, wrestle, and grieve regarding these girls and their stories--plus every other part of my life.

This woman is a whiz in the kitchen and lives to feed others.  She's excellent with kids, empowering them to be brave and try new things.  She is an amazing friend, who expends a tremendous amount of energy searching out ways to bless them. She is so proud of her husband, always bragging about him except when she's baiting him.

She listens. She prays. She is gentle with my failings and encourages me to stand up again. She is so very funny. She is extravagantly generous yet actively seeks how to be extravagantly generous as if she doesn't already live that way. She does things even when she is scared.

She gets grief. She doesn't try to fix what she cannot. She abides, sitting in the pain and brokenness, making it better by doing nothing. 

She embraces people, just as they are. She embraces differences with delight and curiosity. When I slip with one of my crazy quirks, she laughs and eagerly says, "Oh, tell me more about THAT!"

When she goes to the gym, she prays before entering that God put someone in her path who needs encouragement.  When she encounters a stranger or a dear friend, she lights up either way, because all she sees is someone she can love.

She lives life with us, and we are so thankful and humbled.  Her family is wonderful, and we will never be able to repay all they've given. I pray blessings for her as she continues to find ways to live generously.

We were made for relationships. She gets that, and we are so thankful to get to call her friend!