That’s what has been on my mind lately, friends and friendships. This past Monday night through Thursday morning I met my first blog friend and her family. They were traveling through the area and wanted to stop by. I have gotten to know this woman for about 5 years online. She’s a private blogger, so no names or pictures. Of course there is always a bit of apprehension when you meet someone new, even when you have interacted with them for years. Will we really be able to find things to talk about? Will she really like me? Will our husbands get along? And so many other questions ran through my mind. But when they arrived here all my fears were put to rest, they were the sweetest family. Her and I had a chance to go have coffee by ourselves and just chat while the guys took the kids to the park and chatted. We were shocked by how much we have in common. We talked for so long we almost forgot to go buy food for everyone’s lunch. They ended up staying an extra day, Thursday, which wasn’t originally planned, and we are so thankful they did. We had a chance to really get to know them and talk, intimately talk, the last evening. It was so nice and so refreshing and truly a blessing from the Lord.
But I’m not just writing about our time together, but to answered prayer. See, ever since Paul and I moved out here to Idaho, it’s been hard to find the deep friendships like we had back in Illinois. We have some dear friends out here, and I know our friendships will continue to grow. But we have also been praying for something deeper. But to be honest, my prayers have always figured that when the Lord brought a friend in my life like that, it would be a local friend. The last night we had together showed me that that wasn’t what the Lord had planned, at least not with this friendship. We found the type of friendship we are looking for in these dear people who live in another state than us. And as I was thinking about that I realized how much we think we know how the Lord will bring friends into our lives. But it’s not always like we think it will be.
It also had me thinking, have I missed any other friendships the Lord had for me, because it wasn’t like I thought it would be? That is something I am going to take to the Lord and ask Him to show me in my life. Because after seeing how the Lord has put us together with this family, in a way I would never have imagined. I want to make sure that I haven’t closed myself off to something the Lord has for me in the future, just because it’s not how I imagined it.
So I am thankful for the days we had together with this family. I’m thankful that the Lord brought her and I together online 5 years ago. I’m thankful that I didn’t close the door just because it wasn’t as I expected it to be. But most of all I’m so thankful we had a chance to grow closer. It was so much fun watching our kids play with their young ones. I loved watching our husbands get to know each other in such a personal way, even though they had never met. It was such a great time and I’m so glad they made it out here and that it lined up with Paul’s vacation time so he could be here with here too. Thank you Lord for friendships.
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