One of my goals this year was to invest time in new friendships. Little did I know how blessed I would be by new friends (and old friends). In February, my friend Lauren and I decided to lead a small group that would meet every Friday night. The purpose of our group was to meet more people from church and just provide an opportunity for everyone to hang out each week. Since that group started I have made some amazing new friends that have challenged and encouraged me in my relationship with God. When we started this group, I had no idea how blessed I would be with new church friends. Even though our group only lasted through May, we all still hang out and I am constantly encouraged by these amazing people.
I also had no idea that when I made this goal for myself, God would also provide the opportunity for me to invest time in some old friends as well. My best friend that I have known since I was about 11 was hit with a devastating blow in May when she found out that her husband of 7 years (who was also one of my closest friends) had been having an affair. Needless to say, I was shocked and devastated to learn about this. But, with an incredible amount of dignity and strength my amazing friend faced this with the most admirable attitude. I am so thankful that I live close by and was able to be there with her and her precious little boy over the past 4 months. She has no idea how much I have learned from her. Her faith has been strengthened and she has whole-heartedly rested in the arms of our Savior. She started a blog when everything first happened and she was able to verbalize what she was feeling and thinking, but at the end of each post she was able to bring it back to what God was teaching and showing her in all of this. One of our other childhood friends (who has experienced her own share of "awful") said it best when she told Stacey that this was just a sad chapter in a beautiful story. Today is Stacey's 30th birthday and I am celebrating what an amazing friend, sister, mother, teacher, and daughter she is. She has faced the single-most painful experience of her life and she has grown stronger as a person and as a Christian because of it. She now has a new job teaching kindergarten, a great new home with her son, and some much needed distance from this "sad chapter".
God is so faithful in providing for us and answering our prayers. When I started praying for our small group in January and asking God to bring new friends into my life, I had no idea that not only would he provide those amazing people, but He would also strengthen a 20 year bond with a lifelong friend. "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy." - Philippians 1:3-4
God is so faithful in providing for us and answering our prayers. When I started praying for our small group in January and asking God to bring new friends into my life, I had no idea that not only would he provide those amazing people, but He would also strengthen a 20 year bond with a lifelong friend. "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy." - Philippians 1:3-4
After finishing the first 5K I (stupidly) thought, "Oh, let's do that again!" and so I signed up for another one. So, on May 14 I did the Zoo Run in Birmingham with my friend, Julie. I think I ran approximately one time between these 2 races, so I was pretty nervous about walking/running again. But, I actually ended up doing better and finished in 40:34.
