Give Thanks

I have been missing home a lot lately. My head realizes that this is our new home, and as soon as it convinces my heart, I'll stop mentioning it. Anyways, I talked to Sandi on the phone today and it made me wish I could hug her and sit on her porch (even though it's cold) and sip some coffee. When I got off the phone with her, I began to think about all of the girls in small group back home and how we all ever got connected in the first place. How each one of us are so different, and yet so very much the same. I could never put together a group of women myself that has the same connection, so by this I know that it was orchestrated by God alone. I have never had trouble making friends before, but sometimes when your whole life changes, even when it's expected, it makes you choose who it is that you let into your life a little more carefully. Life is a journey that takes us down many roads. Some are good and some not so good. But as we live life, we learn, grow, and meet people that make the journey worth the travel. Mike and I have met a lot of nice people since we've moved here, and I am sure that we will meet many more. I hope that some of those people become true, lifelong friends. I think friends help us live longer and happier. Those kind of people, people that I would like to call friends, are like angels in a way. With them, we find comfort in their arms or in their words. There are times when we find comfort in their presence, knowing that they will stand beside us come what may. Sometimes, those same friends come and go, and from each one, we learn more about ourselves. We see our own weaknesses and our own strengths from the eyes of another. Friends that are lifelong, the ones that stick around and inprint our hearts, are the ones we keep even closer. I am talking about those friendships where time or distance knows no bounds, and the love that is shared can stand up against the worst of circumstances.
So, I am writing this post with love and thanks. To my friends who have touched my life, watched me fall, and raised me up like angels sent from God. Thank you for helping to lift me up above my fight. For whispering prayers softly for both me and my family. Thank you for loving me even when I didn't have the right words to say. Thank you for loving me as one of your own, for being gentle, and for making me miss home. Everytime I think of you, I find myself wondering how I deserve the honor of having such wonderful people to call my friends. In my life, I have tried hard not to question God's blessings. I just seek His face the best way that I know how. There are special angels that we encounter throughout our lives. I believe that with all my heart. I praise God everyday because you have been mine. I love you.