For These I Am Thankful

During a portion of my college years, I was blessed beyond blessed to meet with two sweet college women, with the purpose of being mentored and discipled by an equally sweet post-college woman who happened to be on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ. Though we came from some pretty different backgrounds and didn't know too much about each other when it all started, it took only one meeting together (followed by countless others down the road) for us to be real with one another and to grow in love with each other as we grew more in love with our Savior and his Word. These three women became some of my greatest champions, my most dedicated prayer warriors, my "dig deep into the word" partners, my belly-laughing buddies, my soul-bearing sisters, my sweet and salty eating snackers - just simply my dear, sweet, God-ordained friends. And it didn't stop there - they were part of a larger network of women who all loved the Lord and who I truly loved and was blessed to call friends. Though our lives and the places we call home have certainly changed, what remains are some of the most treasured and real friendships of my life. We still share each others' joys and sorrows - though many of them now revolve around diapers, marriage and parenting - quite a shift from the things that were on our hearts in college - and are shared via email more than in face to face encounters. Yet, much of what drew me to these women remains the same - namely their love for the Lord and their willingness to be genuine and authentic. So today, as I enjoyed a morning with two of these precious women - surrounded by our now five children (with number six on the way), watching as we each parented our little ones, at the same time trying to chat about the things of life - I was reminded of how very THANKFUL I am for the gift of friendship - genuine, deep and authentic friendship. So, thanks girls, for a great morning......though we didn't get to open the word, eat M&M's and lime chips, pray together or dig too deep into much of anything (what can we expect with little ones in tow), I still came away from the morning feeling refreshed (just a different kind)!