Friendship Traditions

 

            Back when we lived in Kokomo, I got a text from my friend Jenna asking if it might be possible for her and her husband to stay the night with us as they traveled to and from a retreat in Ohio. We were a midpoint in the journey, and since we rarely get to see each other, the whole arrangement was a win in every direction.

            We had the best time with them that weekend. We were able to show them around our beloved town and catch up with them about life, their kids, all of our dreams, what the Lord was doing in our lives, and more. It was such a gift to be able to host them and gift them a couple of nights of lodging while also getting to enjoy their friendship!

            They ended up staying with us the next year on their way to the same retreat – and they came back another time with all their kids, and I turned our house into a hotel. The kids left me a review, and I loved everything about that visit!

            We moved to WillowBridge, and they asked if they could keep visiting on their way to the retreat. That year, their visit coincided with the week Allen unexpectedly passed away. We were a mess, everything in our apartment looked disastrous, and I'm fairly sure I've never been a worse hostess. But that’s the beauty of friendship: you don’t always have to be polished to be loved and understood.

            This past weekend, they made their way through town again. We keep moving around, and they keep finding us and enjoying the next version of home we have to offer. This time, things were a bit bare in looks, since we’ve started packing to move. I was in the middle of weeklong online training to learn the skill of writing grant proposals, so my mind was mush. Lexi is still fully puppy when it comes to visitors.

            And yet once again, they accepted and loved us where we were, both personally and geographically. Lexi lost her MIND with joy when they arrived, and she couldn’t understand why they didn’t want her to sit ON THEM at all times to show the full extent of her love. But they were kind to her and she was able to settle down eventually.

            We shared stories over Mexican food the first night of their visit. And when they stopped by on their way back home, we were able to show them the house where they’ll stay next year (ha!) and then told more stories over soup…maybe one of our last hosting opportunities in this house!

            This friendship began over twenty years ago when Jenna and I worked together in the Financial Aid Office. She was a student worker and I was a young, full-time employee who still wore all black on Valentine’s Day and sported glasses to try to look older. We drove matching cars (Three cheers for a Ford Focus). Hers was red, and mine was white. We even did a photo shoot with our matching cars! I drove to visit them in Illinois several times when I was single, and Ryan and I went to see them once after we got married.

            We love this friendship we share. It might be relegated to texting for the majority of the year, but we absolutely treasure our annual hosting tradition. We all just pick up like no time has passed and enjoy our conversations. We know it will probably be another year before we catch up in person, and it’s okay. There’s no pressure to cram in more if time does not allow.

            Friendships don’t have a formula. We have friends we see all the time and some we see only once a year – or less. But each one is dear to us. Each one has its own special offering. I’m grateful for every unique friendship tradition, and I’m grateful for our friends who visit our traveling B&B every year.