In the Company of True Friends

I spent this past weekend in New York City, where I was joined by 6 of my dear sister-friends (of the 11 total) from college, who came in from Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to join Lynn, who lives there. The occasion was our annual girls weekend, the 8th since we graduated from Taylor.

It "just so happened" (as in, God miraculously arranged) that girls weekend was also opening weekend for Redd Tale Theatre's Triumph of Love, the show in which Lynn brilliantly plays the lead. The weekend also included pedicures, street food, a leisurely afternoon in Central Park, a "homemade" baby shower for Becca, and lots of time sitting around together, sharing the highs and lows of the previous year. My heart feeds on these weekends and I always come away with a renewed awareness of how blessed I am by these friendships.

In the company of true friends...

...it's perfectly acceptable to go from laughing to crying in 10 seconds flat.
...it's safe to confess our fears and anxieties, our longings and frustrations, our hopes and dreams.
...it's okay to ask those vulnerable questions we can't ask anywhere else, and to wrestle with the answers.
...I am inspired to trust, to hope, and to believe.
...I am moved to give God glory and turn to Him for help.
...I am most myself.

To my friends: 

Thank you for loving and encouraging me. You are beautiful and strong and brave. I would not be the woman I am without the reality and promise of your presence in my life, year in and year out. I thank my God for you.