Friends Became Family
On a dark, lonely evening as I watched television alone, a commercial came on for a type of online “lounge.” Intrigued by it, I went to my computer to check it out. Logging into the site 18 years ago, I had no idea just how the people on this site would impact my life.
From that night on, I checked in as often as I could to find my new friends waiting for me. We would laugh, joke, and occasionally talk about serious issues that we were going through. Since I was at the beginning of a bad divorce, these friends became my lifeline, my escape, and soon, my confidants. Wishing for more privacy than the public forum allowed, we took our conversations over to email. We shared so much about our lives that before long, we were all emotionally connected and bonded.
I am convinced that God placed these wonderful people in my life for a very special reason. They were there when I needed them the most and struggled through things that threatened to steal every ounce of my sanity. From the bad divorce and the horrible things my ex husband did to me; my sisters suicide and trying to recover when my heart was shattered after losing her; remarrying my old high school sweetheart that resurfaced after the separation from my husband, to having a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that almost claimed my life and required emergency surgery; finally welcoming a beautiful blonde haired blue eyed angel into this world after painful procedures trying to conceive; both of my parents being diagnosed at separate times with cancer, going through surgery, and finally being told they were cancer-free once again; a horrible work situation where I was bullied almost daily by my boss and co-workers; my daughter’s graduation from high school; my new found love of horses and welcoming our herd of five horses to their new home; and the list goes on and on.
It hasn’t been one sided either. I’ve been there for them through their parent’s passing; their medical tests; their own diagnosis and treatment; the passing of one’s sister; family disputes; etc.
As you can see, when once we were mere strangers, we became friends in the most unusual way back then. Over the course of 18 years, though, these friends became family! I thank God for each and every one of them.
Sadly, we lost one of our very special family members last year. She struggled with breast cancer and lost her battle in November of 2014. We miss her so much, but she is always in our thoughts. We are thankful for the memories we made together and the opportunity to spend time face-to-face as we met for the first time last September.
These precious people are now family, and I thank God for how He put us together in the most unusual but beautiful way all those years ago.
What Is Your Calling?
There was a knock on the door, piercing the silent atmosphere of our office environment. She rose to open the door as she politely thanked the postman. Making her way over to my desk, my coworker presented me with a white package, smiled, and said, “Here’s a present for you.” Little did she know that the contents of this package was a very special present waiting for me to rip into.
This individual has long been known for his surprise gift-giving abilities. Out of no where, a care package would appear for my daughter and myself. At a particularly hard time in my life when I had just started going through the divorce proceedings, my friend reached across the miles and offered little gifts to bring a smile and warm my heart. He never forgot my daughter or left her out. In all of the packages that would arrive at my place of employment, there was always a little surprise inside for her, too.
Today as I opened the package, I smiled as cards fell out on my desk along with two books. One in particular said on the front, “This card has no purpose.” When you opened it, it said, “I sent it anyway.” Ah, but here’s the thing. The card may have seemed like it had no purpose whatsoever, but it clearly did as it brought a smile to my face as soon as I read it.
Another card had an actual hug inside complete with instructions that made me giggle.
And the last card said that it just wanted to brighten my day as I’ve brightened so many of theirs. Awe! What I especially loved about this heartwarming card was the bible verse on the left side.
Every time I think of you —
and I think of you often! —
I thank God for you.
1 Corinthians 1:4
The Message
This individual was sent to me many years ago, almost 20 years now. My heart is forever grateful for the genuine and true friendship that has been mine all of these years.
He has the gift of encouragement, and he reaches across the miles to turn the corners of my mouth into a wide smile.
I believe the gift of encouragement is his calling.
What is YOUR calling?
When Doubt Creeps In
Last year I participated in the 31 days of writing along with a lot of other talented bloggers. It was a challenge to think of a topic that you could talk about for 31 days straight. While I completed the 31 days, and was extremely proud that I was able to stick with it, there was times when I doubted whether I had anything of real worth and value to contribute. I’ll bet you have those moments as well. Silent thoughts inside of your head trying to convince you to give up when you haven’t even really gotten started yet.
When doubt creeps in it is so easy to say, “You’re right!” while throwing in the towel. But … please don’t. You do have a lot to offer the world. We need to read your words and hear what you’re speaking straight from your heart. You do have something of worth and value to share.
Don’t let doubt keep you from joining in on this challenge in October. If you’re unsure of a topic, there are two bloggers stepping up to the plate to offer you prompt words to get the juices flowing. One is Kate, the host of Five Minute Fridays. The other is Denise, who I have come to know and love through an (in)Courage group for writers that I participated in two Winters ago. If you’d rather not write on a specific topic for 31 days, then join in on their prompt words. But, if you’re just not feeling inspired at all, just write from your heart. You cannot go wrong sharing your words that way.
Maybe you have a story inside of you screaming to get out. Or, perhaps you need to talk about the pain from your past as a form of therapy. I have used my blog for this purpose before. Sometimes when the pain is so great, you just cannot get the words to slip from your lips. You feel unable to speak, as you just do not want to talk about it out loud to any one. That’s okay. Some of the greatest forms of therapy for me has come from writing it all out. Whether it is a letter to someone that has wronged me that I just write for the sole purpose of getting it out of me and onto paper or onto the computer screen with the intent of deleting or printing out and burning the paper afterwards as a form of release … it helps to write!
If I find that I’m stewing over something that is greatly troubling me, it helps to be released from my self made prison by writing about it. If I harbor it all inside of my heart, it will fester. I know that I will feel better once I release it, and so … out it comes. This is easier for some, while it is much harder for others. I do understand this as well. Words flow once I really get started, whereas my husband, for example, struggles to express himself with words. Take however long you need. The point isn’t to rush through it. The whole purpose is to get it out of you so you’ll begin to feel better.
Maybe you’d rather not write about something so personal. If you choose not to delve into painful experiences from your past in these 31 days, that is completely understandable as well. Maybe it’s 31 days of prayers you’d rather write about to encourage someone around you. That would be AWESOME, by the way!
Just … write.
Do not let the doubt crowd out your creative thoughts that are just begging to come out.
I’d like to encourage you to accept the 31 day challenge, whether you write on a blog, in a journal, or write letters to people that have offended you or caused you grief in life (letters to later be ripped up or burned).
Join us in this challenge to write for 31 days straight beginning October 1st.
