Silver and Gold: The Gift of Friendship

Silver and Gold: The Gift of Friendship - The Glorious Table

Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver, and the other is gold.

Living in the parsonage next door to my church brought with it a fierce temptation to run for cover on Sunday mornings. At war with my longing for good friends was my compulsion to avoid awkward post-service conversations. I loved my friends; it was the process from acquaintance to bosom friend that killed me. Voices in my head told me the happy groups chatting in the foyer didn’t need one more person. But I was in a new place with new people as a mom of two preschoolers. To build a life here, I needed friends.

God always knew I needed friends. The proof started before I was even born as my mom discovered one of her Lamaze classmates attended the same church she did. My first friendship was born before I was.

Kim and I grew up together. She was the blond to my brunette, the laughter to my serious, and the active to my laid back. She provided an anchor of belonging to my little heart. I can’t remember my elementary school days without Kim’s face connected to fun times.

God added another layer when I tested out of my reading group in first grade. The school wanted to advance me further than my mom was comfortable. The compromise was to advance me with another girl to a level that made both moms comfortable. It turned out Gretchen didn’t only go to my school; she also lived four blocks down the street from me. We wore a path between our houses experiencing the best and hardest pieces of growing up.

Going to a new school for eighth grade—alone—felt like torture. I held my eyes open wide as we drove so tears wouldn’t drop onto my carefully mascara-ed eyelashes. I’d never had to make friends on my own before, and I felt sure the only ones I had were a result of my two besties’ sparkle. But God had a plan. Within two weeks, I had friends. At graduation, we took a group photo, and I told my mom, “It would be impossible to ever find friends this good again.”

God might have laughed just then.

I couldn’t see his hand yet. It took a few more years of perspective for my rearview mirror to clear...

Please join me at The Glorious Table to continue reading about the ways God has over and over again given me the gift friendships.

Comments

The Fight for Control - Day 3

Preschoolers' bodies contain a power that defies the laws of physics. Moms of preschoolers know there is definitely something metaphysical going on in their homes. It's also clear to Moms like me that every now and then, a special child comes along with whom the force is especially strong. I had a cute little 3-year-old boy who often left me slack-jawed and feeling outflanked. His will was strong and it was aided and abetted by a deft use of words and logic. Maybe you've encountered a kid like him.....you can recognize them by the iron glint in their eyes and the furrowed brows of their Mommas. Maybe you've got one living under your own roof. Even though it felt like Trevor and I jockeyed for position forever...but it was really just a chunk of Trev's 3rd year. Let me tell you, it was one INTENSE year, but it wasn't eternal. Our toughest head-to-heads seemed to always happen on evenings Scott was at a late meeting and I was flying solo....

My Funeral - Day 18

Some people might think it's morbid to think about your own funeral. It's not. It's actually smart. "Begin with the End in Mind" is rule #2 in Stephen Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I want to be highly effective. Beginning with the end of my life in mind means I need to think about my own funeral. What's closer to the end than your own funeral? I remember being at my Great-Grandma's funeral not too long after I became a Mom. Her name was Minnie Merrow and she lived a long life. She outlived almost all of her contemporaries. Most people at her funeral were family - children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. The room was big and it was full. Many people there I didn't even know but each was connected to my great-grandma. I only have a few personal memories of my grandma Minnie. She always kept chocolate chip cookies in her chest freezer and would let my sister and I eat all icy ...

We've Seen Their Faces!!

Ready to have your mind blown? Have we got a referral story for you! It's a like a book with a plot that sucks you in right from the start, leaving you gritty-eyed from endless "just-one-more-chapter" nights. You mean to put the book down and sleep like a normal person...but then the last paragraph of each chapter makes your eyes go wide and steals all willpower except for the "page turning" kind. One twist in the plot after another that you COULDN'T SEE COMING....twists that are the best satisfaction a plot could offer. It's better than what you hoped was coming and leaves you amazed at the writer's craft. Ever read a book like that?? I have. I LOOOVE them. The past few weeks have shown me that I SUPER LOOOOVE living that kind of plot! A good story has to start at the beginning.....Once upon a time, God stirred our hearts in an undeniable way and called us to respond to His orphaned children by making a few of them Floridas...

Lori Florida

Search This Blog