Friends

When I write, I like to try to write from a place of inspiration. A good thing, I suppose, when one of my goals in writing is not just a great pastime, but hopefully helping someone else find inspiration too. Lately, with summer and all, we've been just busy! It's good, summer-type busy, but still busy. It becomes so easy for me to get lost in our world of going with the flow and jumping from one thing to the next...hence the fewer blog posts!

Today, though, I am feeling inspired. I was at church observing all my beautiful friends. And all at once, I felt it again. That feeling of being humbled and grateful and left feeling just utterly blessed. It's a common feeling lately, and I think that I am coming to appreciate friends and a truer community in a way I haven't before.

We went to Hope, Alaska with many of these friends last weekend. We so enjoyed being together and even watching our children, who will all grow up together, just having fun and getting dirty and being with the kids they have known since they were born. It just kept hitting me, this feeling that kept bubbling up. Gratitude.

Then, the other night I went to dinner with my best girls. Birthdays are always our excuse to go out! The laughter, both irreverent and sincere, the confiding and sharing, and always making our poor waitress angry for staying too late, half of us ordering just a salad or dessert! It's these things I cherish. And again, I'm humbled, grateful, blessed.

'True' community, I'm not really sure what that looks like. But I think we're getting closer than we have ever been. 'To bear each other's burdens' as was said from the pulpit today. I think that's where this community is found. We don't have to live together to accomplish this, but we have to be active in each other's lives. Choosing to share in the joys and pains, and it is a choice. At the cost of our own comfort at times.

Those folks in the very early church in Acts were on to something I think... "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved," Acts 2:44-47.

I realize that at this time in history, God was beginning the miraculous work of growing His church. However, this type of living worked for growing a church! A community of people devoted to each other and to God, giving to each other as anyone had need. They were together and they were glad! I think we need more of this.

But for now, I'm grateful.

I hesitated writing this because I know many people don't have these type of friendships or community. All I can say is that like so many things, its a choice. You have to choose to give and invest in people. Count the cost and then simply BE a friend. I think loneliness spurs us to risk sometimes. I know it does for me. Take the risk! And you too, could someday be part of a ridiculous pyramid built of middle-aged women!

Photos courtesy of Rhae Anne Etheredge , except for photo of 6 friends, courtesy of Suite 100 hostess.