Today's theme, is to write about a friendship. I thought about this a lot as I drove to work the other day. I wondered who could be the friend I featured in this post. I have a lot of amazing friends. I feel pretty blessed at times. And so I decided I wasn't going to just focus on one friendship but rather on three different ones.
The first is one that's pretty old. This dear friend of mine and I go all the way back to early elementary school or rather the school bus. But back then we weren’t friends, as a matter of fact we might have actually hated each other. We road the same bus to school for many years but we didn't actually go to the same school because she went to the Catholic school and I went to the public school. Fast forward many years till near the end of high-school when we ended up partying together a few times one summer and our friendship took off. We became quite inseperable during the last 2 years of highschool and in that time and the next several years we experienced many heartbreaking times together. We lost a number of people that we were very close to in our late teens and early twenties. Our friendship has never waivered but it's definitely had it's challenges, the greatest being distance. For most of the last 20 years we have lived thousands of kilometers away from each other. That doesn't seem to affect how tied our hearts are to each other. She became a Christian a few years before me and shared many wonderful words with us in some of the trials of our lives that began nine years ago. As a matter of fact if it wasn't for something she had sent us I don't think that Geoff and I would still be together. I love her like a sister and I'm so blessed by her friendship, by her prayers and by her love.
In chronological order, the next friendship I want to talk about is actually friendships, plural. These friendships were born out of a life that began 9 years ago. They are parents that I met online because of TTTS. Some of them know the heartache of loss, losing one or both of their twins to this disease. Some of them had both twins survive and know how TTTS changes you forever. They know the heartache only because they have such a heart and a love for those of us who do experience loss. They are my go-to team, my go-to friends. They understand how seeing pictures of a set of healthy, happy twins can rip my heart into pieces or bring me great joy. They understand that some days suck and some days are awesome. They cheer me on as I help other people and they hold me up when my tears threaten to drag me to the ground. I feel so blessed to have this group of friends in my life and I know I wouldn't have made it through this journey without them.
The last friendship I want to write about is also a plural friendship. I have a group of friends that I've been hanging out with for the last five or so years. They are people I met in church and they hold such a special place in my heart. They are who I can go to for anything. I can tell them anything, I can ask for anything and I can always find comfort in their presence. This group knows when I need prayer without me even asking for it and they know how to love on me like no one else does. They don't judge me. They don't form opinions about how I should or shouldn't live my life. They just offered love, support and grace upon grace. None of them knew me before any of this journey began for us, they didn’t experience how TTTS changed us or watch the anguish that the loss had on our hearts. And yet they love Cole and talk about their desire to meet him in heaven. They are the greatest blessing I could have. There’s a David Crowder song that reminds me of this group.
So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You’re not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
The song is about how Jesus wants us to just come as we are to him and this group, this group accepts me like Jesus. I can lay down my burdens, my shame, my brokenness , my hurt with them and just be real. I can come to them just as I am and know that I am accepted, welcomed and loved.
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