Friendship

 This past weekend, as you might have seen on the Shuffle yesterday, I spoke at a women's event at a church. It was my first time to speak to a group gathered live and in person since before the whole pandemic lifestyle began, and I really loved it. The ladies were careful but still kind in their interactions with each other and me, and I'll tell you more about all that tomorrow.

But the whole reason this church even had my name was because my friend Olivia attends there, and she is a champion of the work I do. (This is the second church she's recommended me to, and I love it that she shares the love!) 

Olivia and I have been friends for many years now - probably coming up on close to twenty, actually. (WHAT?!) We attended the same church and then she asked me to be her mentor, which was a relationship we carried for many years. I was in her wedding and now we're good email and text buddies, and I love it. 

(Here are some peeks at our adventures over the years: the story of our friendship, her bachelorette party, her bridal shower, her wedding rehearsal, my day as a bridesmaid in her wedding, her baby shower, a visit with Olivia and her baby, one of the days she came to hang out with me at our Marion house, and our visit to their town back in 2016.)

Tom and Olivia now have four children, and life is very busy for them. Though they live closer to us now than they did, it's still a bit of a drive, and we haven't seen each other in far too long. 

So we left home a little early for my speaking engagement and made time to go see their home and the two youngest littles we'd never met in person.

You know what I love about them? We can not see them for years and then jump in and talk as though we just saw each other yesterday and are continuing our conversation from there. 

Not all friendships are like that, so I hold extra appreciation for those that are.

They welcomed us into their home, introduced us (reintroduced in some cases) to their children, and let us be part of their afternoon. Ryan sat in the living room with Tom, each of them sharing a little about work, and then the boys woke up from their naps and wanted Tom and Ryan to watch them practice casting their fishing lines, so they headed to the backyard for that. The boys introduced Ryan to all their chickens, too.

Meanwhile, Olivia and I sat in the kitchen, keeping an eye on dinner baking in the oven, and I played with the baby, while their daughter showed me some of the books she so loves to read. In between food, books, and babies, we caught up on life as fast as we could. 

We sat down to homemade pulled pork sundaes, and I wanted to eat a MUCH bigger portion than I actually did, thankyouverymuch. Olivia has always been a wonderful cook, and four kids haven't slowed her down any in cooking time or talent. 

During dinner, the kids told us jokes and asked questions about how long we had known their mom and dad. We talked about some of the very stories in those earlier posts linked above. 

Though I was eager to go speak, I also wished I could have stayed for hours - or days! - to keep talking and sharing stories and memories.

I sure am thankful for Olivia. What a treasure and blessing she has been - and still is - in my life. 

***

And I can't close this blog without talking about another friendship reconnection I enjoyed this week! 

Back in my pre-blogging days, I received a dear friend named Lois, who came to work in Financial Aid right after I was hired. She found herself inheriting a real mess, not just of an office, but in this whippersnapper of an employee, fresh out of college. A few years ago, I wrote about how she coached me through a season of change that threatened to utterly UNDO me.  

Lois moved away from Indiana, but in one of my favorite God-twists, she actually came to our wedding! She happened to be attending a conference in Florida the same weekend we got married, and she asked if she could make the trip over for the wedding! ABSOLUTELY! So she's right behind Ryan in our full-wedding-guest photo!

Lois texted me this week and said she had a question for me - if I had time for a phone call. Why call when you can FaceTime? So I suggested that, and that evening, Ryan and I gathered in at the kitchen table to enjoy an actual face-to-screen-face conversation with Lois! I don't even know how long we talked, but I loved every second of it! 

I love making new friends - and we're certainly in a season of doing a lot of that right now. But even though I love the new, I love the forever friends that hang on and hold their place, years down the road. I love being able to go right ahead without skipping a beat. 

I love God's idea to create friends. They're a blessing!