Weekend

I’m on the train right now.  5 hours from now, I’ll reach my destination.  I’m excited to spend the next few days with one of the most inspiring people I know.  When we met, I was drawn to her outgoing personality and her ability to make people laugh.  I found her to be a beautiful person inside and out.  She was easy to talk to and fun to be around. 

As I got to know her, I realized I could learn a lot from her.  We met through a local home school group.  I was new to the home school thing and she had been doing it for years already.   I had no clue what I was doing and I soon learned many things from her.  And, I was grateful as my son got older that she offered to have him join her daughter for science.  Dissecting chickens, deer heads, and who knows what else, was much better at her house than mine!  We shared curriculum, talked about the ups and downs of teaching our kids, and ventured into the scary world of teaching high school together.   But, there was so much more to our friendship.
I watched as she lived her life completely surrendering to God.  I had always been a Christian and followed His path.  But, I’m not sure everyone knew that.  What I mean is this.  I had my family and church life and then I had my work life.  I had separated the 2.  I watched as she took every opportunity to share God with others.  It wasn’t as though she pushed God on others, but in the way she lived, God was evident and gave her opportunities to share.  I wanted that.  I wanted that deep connection and ability to share my faith.  Through her and through circumstances, I was able to find that.  When my husband got sick, I found strength in God.  And, through the inspiration of my friend, I was able to share that with others.  Through discussions with her, my faith and spirituality has grown.  Seeing her deal with struggles and seeing her faith has helped me realize what I need to do. 
We don’t always talk now that she lives far away.  Busy families, jobs, and life sometimes gets in the way.  But, I have been grateful for our friendship that stands up to that distance.  Even if we don’t talk, we both know the other is there the moment we need them.  And, when we do talk, there is no time that has gone by.
So, where is God today?  He’s giving me these next few days of time.  I don’t take that gift often.  And, I feel blessed that I have it to spend with my friend.

Blessings,

Jennifer