Your Best Friends

April 7: Your best friends

Two brief stories here. The first is from 40 years ago. Brand new married. New town. New church. New job. Zero friends - at least locally. I still had friends of course, from high school and college, but no one close by. Everyone was friendly, but no close friend. And I was very lonely. I had gone to a retreat during this time and cried much of the way home, praying my need for a friend to Jesus. I can no longer remember the first time we met, but it was within days of that prayer that a friendship began its early days of growth with LaDonya. She and her husband and Brian and I spent untold nights playing Spades, learning to dance, country style (this was a sad affair for them, I'm afraid - we were not students who excelled in this - lol). She and I spent untold lunches together, she was with me when my babies were born, we swapped babysitting. She and Jesus saved me during that season of everything new. I will never not be thankful for her.

God has continued to be faithful throughout the years, both before and after this, with seasons of friendship that were exactly what each of us needed. Not all friendships last forever. Some are meant for a particular season, some simply morph due to moves or changes that are out of our control, some are put on hold as they've been lost to death, for now. I am thankful for those that have only grown deeper through the years, but I am also thankful for those that were for a season.

Second story is just something I picked up from Mandy Patinkin (of "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die," fame) - I was listening to him on a podcast a few years ago and he talked about his morning prayers - that people from all over the world reach out to him, asking for his prayers and he tries hard to be faithful to that. One way he does that is to speak their name. God knows the need of each - he does not need to. So he lifts their name to Him, as He knows what is truly needed. I loved this. So often I do not know what to pray, or how a need is best met. We can often think we know - but do we really know what is best? Anyway, I've prayed this way often when I feel at a loss for words - when someone comes to mind that I haven't thought of recently or the needs are so great I do not have sufficient words - I assume there is a need there and lift their name -- I "hold" it for a bit and sit with them in some spiritual plane where God knows what I can never know.

Below is my list of many of my closest friends throughout the last 62 years. In anticipation of this prompt, I've spent a couple of days thinking back through the years, lifting each name as it comes to me. I'm certain I've forgotten some, as my memory is often filled with gaps and for this I am sorry - it will come to me in spurts and please know your name will be lifted when that gap fills in.

Gayla
Susan
Sonia
Valorie
Shelley
Duane
Gina
Lee Ann
Monty
Patrick
Cathy
Brian
Stephanie
Mama
LaDonya
Lisa
Beth
Michelle
Pam
Heather
Jes
Sherry
Traci
Erin
Dylan
Luke
Grace
Kelly
Greg
Kimi
Mandy
Karen

If any of you find your way to this post, please know that you have shaped me, you have made me better than I was before you and I have lifted your name up to the One who knows us best. Thank you. I am praying for you today - and often.