F.R.I.E.N.D.S- How Many of Us Have Them?

Not everyone can say they have people around them who are growing just as they are growing in knowledge of purpose of their Creator and of themselves.

I’m grateful to be one of the few who can.

I can honestly say I would not be where I am today without community.  Having like-minded individuals to do life with is such a blessing and is one of the largest contributing factors to my own spiritual growth.  Having people you can lean on at any given time in life when everything looks upside down can be the key factor in helping your perspective shift back to right side up.

My mom always said “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket”, meaning, don’t just invest all of your energy into one person.  Her view was that if you lose that one basket, you’re out of luck.  Well, I unintentionally took her advice (what kid listens to their parent?) and have invested love, energy and time into many baskets.  I want to use this blog to honor those in my baskets:

Deidre Redmond, aka Dee: My oldest and first real friend.  I can honestly say there is no one else in my life I could go years without communicating with and then talk to as if no time had passed at all!  I so love that about our connection, it surpasses time and location.  I’m grateful to God for restoring what was lost between us and so glad you are apart of my family!

Jamlizzo-  Now I’d rather not discuss the way we met the first time…let’s just skip to our Sophomore year when you showed me kindness and invited me into a friendship :-).  Before that I really had no friends at our Alma Mater, you were the first and it was a life changing friendship for the both of us!  Getting to find the Lord together and walk it out together 10 years later has been a huge blessing.  Watching you grow in Him is even more so…

Audra Paige, The former Ms. Bradfied 🙂  I so appreciate your ability to see me as God does.  You are always rooting me on and believing I can accomplish anything, even when I, myself do not.  Thank you for your unconditional love and being one of my biggest fans in life!  I also truly appreciate you keeping your friends a priority in your life even during life changing events such as marriage and children.  You’ve set the standard for the rest of us…

Theresa Harrison, fondly called “Ms. Theresa”– Ah, what could I possibly say about you Ms. Theresa?  Clearly we are stuck together at the hip and nothing will separate us.  You stick closer than a brother and fought for me when I couldn’t fight for myself, even when it meant you were wounded in the process.  Thank you for your faithfulness to me, I don’t deserve it.

Esperanza Gallon, aka Hopey G.– We met at Miami’s campus but our friendship developed in the years following and I’m so glad it did.  You are such a caring person, you go above and beyond the call of duty for any project you tackle, but especially for those you love.  I’m so glad to be counted among the latter.  I appreciate your heart for others and am eternally grateful for your friendship.

Jiesha Perkins, aka Ji– My secret bestie 🙂  I never expected to grow so close to another person this late in the game, and yet God is full of surprises.  The part I love most about our relationship is that you spend the night at least 2x a wk and I don’t have to sleep alone.  I’m definitely going to be tempted to sneak into your room and sleep on the floor when you get married…

Tierra Nichols, aka TT (soon to be Mrs. Moore)- I love that we both love Jesus in similar ways. We can talk about Him forever and never get tired. We could worship Him forever and never get tired. I love the hours-long conversations and the time you take to invest in each of your friends.  Thank you for your prayers and encouragement over the years, I’m honored to be running this race with you.  I’m so excited to see you walk down the aisle and witness the goodness God has for you in your future 🙂

Kandis Taylor– My work BFF!  Thanks for helping to bring me out of my shell at work 🙂 It’s so nice to have someone there daily who understands that we are there for more than work but for the advancement of God’s kingdom.  Every card you’ve given and every event you’ve attended to celebrate me has meant so much!  Your love and friendship are an added bonus that I receive everyday I walk into the office…

These women have made the difference in my life, whether it was a phone call, a gift, a prayer, they have impacted me in ways I’m sure I am unaware of.  And not just them, but there are so many others near and dear to my heart.  For so long I did not value friendship.  I did not know what a real friend was and I did not think there was such a thing as a life long friendship.  I share this as an encouragement to you if you are of the same mindset!  God did not make us to operate individually.  He is intra-relational and has created us to flourish within relationships.  If you are in need of good friends, I encourage you to pray for them. I promise it will be one of the most fulfilling prayers of your life.

Til next time…

SHALOM

Oh yea…special shout out to “the four” 🙂