Friends I've never met

In the past few weeks I've averaged about one new friend I've never met per week! At this rate I may soon have more friends I've never met...than friends that I have met - thanks to blogging :)

I'm an early morning person (that's my favorite time of day!) so that eliminates a lot of up close & personal interaction w/ many people right there. God & my husband are among the few who are willing to chat w/ me at that time - & I actually like it that way :) But - with "the world at my fingertips" and the ability to allow people to see inside my heart & mind using those same fingertips - w/o necessarily having to see me(!) at that hour (picture pj's, coffee, no shower, no make-up ... ok - that's enough ... don't scare yourself!) - & that I must do one of the things I enjoy most (write!) in order to communicate w/ them (somehow wrapping/writing words around my thoughts & things I wonder, etc. to help others understand what's on my mind gives me a better understanding of it too in the process) makes these friendships special in an extra-special sort of way that's hard to explain - but I'm trying hard here to explain it .... can you tell? :)

And - how is it that in just a short time I can feel like I know some people "here" SO much better than people I've seen for years on a regular basis - & hardly know!?

I don't know... but with friends like this - that I've never met - it seems perhaps I was born for such a time as this - despite how much I'd love to meet them! :)



P.S. I have one friend here who - for the longest time - I thought I'd never met -- only to eventually figure out that she is actually one of those people I see on regular basis but didn't really feel like I knew all that well - but who knew ...that I actually knew her better than even I knew ?! :)

Morning Glory

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
2 Corninthians 4:6

Yesterday, Playmaker (15) & I visited a dear friend from church - who is now in a nursing home - after much too much time passed since the last time I saw her. I'll call her Morning Glory. She reminds me so much of my mom - even has the same b-day! (edit: oops just learned it's actually 2 days later...how could I forget that?! mb it was the same year? hmm) I'll Her friendship has been a special gift (blessing!) from God. My mom was my own personal prayer warrior & when I lost her, among other things, I missed that! In the past I've asked Morning Glory to pray for my daughter & she was glad to do it. Morning Glory has been almost blind since I've known her but has such a positive attitude despite her increasing limitations & she's so at peace & will tell you so - almost as if she wants to put your mind at ease :) And she'll tell you about how good God has been to her & what a good life she's had. She senses The LORD so very close. And I hafta say -- just knowing that He's there - SO close to her - makes me wanna go back very soon - in part bc I wanna be that close too(!) & in part bc I wonder ... if He's that close, is He getting ready to take her home? It's very special, what she & God share. But - apparently I'm not the only one she reminds of my mom. Playmaker "saw her Gramma" there in that bed & as memories flooded her mind, tears poured out -- so we didn't stay long - didn't want Morning Glory to know Playmaker was crying - afterall we came to cheer her up! But I bro't home these words of wisdom she shared during our short but good visit... to the effect:

If you worry, you don't trust God.
If you trust God, you don't worry.

... and I can't help but wonder if that's the bottom line that God wants us to figure out once we've accepted (trusted!) Him as our Savior & by the time we leave this amazing place - & is it why Morning Glory seems so ready to leave whenever God decides He's ready to take her home? ... and is it why I feel like.... I still have so much to learn!?

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:33 & 34

"OUR" friends

My friend across the country - but as close as a "click here" provided the inspiration for this post when I read hers from this wknd.

Over the summer we began meeting w/ a few other families w/ teens for The Truth Project. We meet in each other's homes weekly for 2-3 hours of food, fun & fellowship & some interesting/thought provoking discussions. The younger kids enjoy playing while we meet.

Long story short.....We've enjoyed getting to know these families much better & our relationships w/ them have been taken up a notch.

I love that both parents & kids are involved in the relationship building that just happens because we're meeting w/ the common desire to get to know God & His will better - & as we carve out precious time to devote to that end, we naturally get to know others who share similar passions, struggles & other "common denominators".

In this group, we've found something very special...a sweet blessing.... "Our" friends --- Not ...his, her, their or my friends....but our friends :)