The Friendship

                  

 Senior year of highschool we road in a limo to Memphis to go to dinner, watch a play and celebrate Donald's birthday and our last summer together as The Friendship. That limo ride was hilarious and so sad, a wave of emotions as we laughed about past memories and we cried about what the future meant for each of us. We had the world at our fingertips, we were good kids and we all had potential to grow and flourish into adulthood. We were all going our separate ways in just a couple of weeks and while we were all excited we were all terrified. We were each others best friends, but more than that we had become family and life didn't seem like it could go on with us all being in separate places.

              Every college break we met up, we cooked elaborate dinners for our parents, we traveled together and we laughed a lot. When we were away at school we sent group texts and group chats and laughed until it hurt. As with all of us the more we grew into adults the more we experienced life.  We all had blessed lives but no life is spared from heartache, trials or pain.  From breakups, a cancer diagnosis in one of our moms, several grandparents deaths, a stroke that tried to steal one of our dads, trouble in trying to find a job, dealing with job loss, and the list goes on and on. Through all of the bad came lots of good.  New cities, a mom who overcame cancer, marriage, a dad who beat the odds, children, new jobs and then other new jobs. Through the heartache and the joys one thing has remained constant and that is The Friendship. Some of us have added significant others, some have added kids and while we have shed many tears together we still continue to laugh. We laugh a lot!


           This past weekend all of The Friendship, except one, had the blessing of traveling together to Chicago. This marks Chicago trip #11 and it always seems that Chicago comes at just the right time in our lives. In the midst of turmoil and stress we reunite in Chicago and talk and laugh and pour out our pains and worries.  There are times that the stress seems to be like too much and it is in those times that I am reminded of The Friendship and the way that these relationships are truly the best medicine. Blessed with friends old and new and always thankful for The Friendship!

Chasing Bubbles

         After what feels like the longest, grayest, coldest winter we at last have a day of warmer temps and beautiful sunshine! Meritt and I head outside for an afternoon of soaking up as much sunshine and fresh air as we possibly can.  I push her on the swing, she climbs her rock wall and slides down her slide over and over and over. Then she spots the container. The big, plastic, purple container that holds her bubbles. "Blow bubbles mommy, blow bubbles." I grab the container, pull out the wand and begin blowing bubbles. The first bubbles I blow come straight for my face so I turn adjust the wand in a new direction and start blowing. I blow bubbles and Meritt chases bubbles. When I blow into the wand 8-10 bubbles go flying through the air and each time Meritt looks up picks one bubble out of the bunch and starts chasing it. She runs until the bubble lands and then she stomps on it or smashes it with her hand, this is followed by the sweetest giggles that only a two year old can provide. The seventh or eighth time that I go to blow into the wand the bubbles are released and Meritt spots the bubble she wants to pop. This particular bubble is flying sporadically through the air. It goes up and down and side to side, Meritt begins to get frustrated and starts to cry out. I say Meritt go pop another bubble there are several over there and she says "no, me want this bubble."  I think to myself how crazy her ration is and then I am reminded of the Shepard who leaves his 99 sheep to go look for the one lost sheep.

     Aren't we like bubbles? God releases us into this crazy world and we all fly through it differently. Some of us fly in a straight line, some of us clump together and some of us take the bumpy ride we falter all over and end up over the fence lost. But isn't it so reassuring to know that the God that releases us cares about us all the same. He wants all of us, the do-gooders, the ones that blend with the crowd and he even wants the wanderers.  God loves us enough that He will abandon the 99 to come and seek out the one that has strayed away. I am so thankful to serve a God that chases the bubbles and loves me unconditionally. He knows my name, He knows my heart and He claims me as His own!