Friends

Sometimes I think of how blessed I am to have friends who love me.

I've connected with several friends recently who are so dear to my heart. We've met at different times in my life.

One friend, a young man I've known since junior high. We don't talk often, but when we do, we pick up where we left off.

Another, a young woman I met in undergrad who is a sister to me. God literally brought us together. The story goes that she was in her dorm room, praying for God to send her a friend who was a believer. Another friend and I were at the student center with our parents, attending orientation sessions. She gets up from praying, walks into the student center, and is confronted with my mom's poofy, tell-tale hairbow. "Are you Pentecostal?" she asks her. A few minutes later, my friend and I came out of our orientation session to a tearful, joyous meeting of answered prayer. The rest is history.

The last, a partner-in-crime I met in grad school. He's a little older, married with a family. We are so different in so many ways, it's amazing we're friends. But somehow, the shared experience of earning a Masters degree made us family.

I love these people God has placed into my life. There are many others, of course, but this week, I've somehow interacted with the ones I've described above. I'm thinking of them right now, and I am thankful for them.