Measuring up
Last Tuesday I got to see an old friend. I mean from back in Georgia, back in the day. We met in the summer after 8th grade and were friends for a couple of years till I moved away and we eventually lost contact. We reconnected toward the end of college through a mutual friend. Found out we were both believers and even got to see each other at a student missions convention in IL. Our birthdays are one day apart. Cool. After all these years we still acknowledge our "birthday buddy" with a card. At least she does, and I try to. We know which one is the more organized.
This is no ordinary friend. She has a degree in Theology, has written for 50 magazines, collaborated on 20 books, and has 6 of her own. She is a respected international conference speaker and has other professional experience in missions, pastoral care, and broadcasting. And she is funny--very funny. We laughed a lot over dinner and brought up names of people that hadn't crossed our minds in a lot of years. Neither of us live in the South now, but the South helped to shape who we are. (BTW-southerners always capitalize the South.)
We figured the last time we saw each other was when I was living in WI before either of us were married. I've been married 25 years. That's long enough ago to cause me to feel a little insecure as I enter the hotel lobby to meet her after my unusually hectic day. I mean, she's all that, and I'm just me, right? She's lost weight and I've gained some. I am well aware that it's way past time to re-do my hair color. There are numerous other things I could tell myself about how I don't measure up based on the past and present. But none of that seemed to matter as we talked non-stop over a shared entree in downtown Denver last week. More than being birthday buddies, we are life buddies. That's what is really cool. We share a bond in the Lord, in ministry, in passion, in what we've devoted our lives to. We both wish we could be with our aging parents in GA more often. We have both been through some hard stuff. We both want to do life better next year than we did last year, not that we're never satisfied, but that we have some things on our hearts to give ourselves to. We both want the best for our kids. We're both freer now than we were ten years ago. Yes, even with my surface insecurities, I am freer! (anyway, I did push through those as soon as I stepped out of the elevator into the hotel lobby and saw her. It helped that she had a big smile on her face!)
My friend, Cindy, has written a beautiful grace-filled book about rejuvenating your inner life. It's called Spa for the Soul. See the link on my side panel. I hope you will read it and let me know if so.
Maybe next time I will tell a couple of the crazy things that happened while we were dining.
This is no ordinary friend. She has a degree in Theology, has written for 50 magazines, collaborated on 20 books, and has 6 of her own. She is a respected international conference speaker and has other professional experience in missions, pastoral care, and broadcasting. And she is funny--very funny. We laughed a lot over dinner and brought up names of people that hadn't crossed our minds in a lot of years. Neither of us live in the South now, but the South helped to shape who we are. (BTW-southerners always capitalize the South.)
We figured the last time we saw each other was when I was living in WI before either of us were married. I've been married 25 years. That's long enough ago to cause me to feel a little insecure as I enter the hotel lobby to meet her after my unusually hectic day. I mean, she's all that, and I'm just me, right? She's lost weight and I've gained some. I am well aware that it's way past time to re-do my hair color. There are numerous other things I could tell myself about how I don't measure up based on the past and present. But none of that seemed to matter as we talked non-stop over a shared entree in downtown Denver last week. More than being birthday buddies, we are life buddies. That's what is really cool. We share a bond in the Lord, in ministry, in passion, in what we've devoted our lives to. We both wish we could be with our aging parents in GA more often. We have both been through some hard stuff. We both want to do life better next year than we did last year, not that we're never satisfied, but that we have some things on our hearts to give ourselves to. We both want the best for our kids. We're both freer now than we were ten years ago. Yes, even with my surface insecurities, I am freer! (anyway, I did push through those as soon as I stepped out of the elevator into the hotel lobby and saw her. It helped that she had a big smile on her face!)
My friend, Cindy, has written a beautiful grace-filled book about rejuvenating your inner life. It's called Spa for the Soul. See the link on my side panel. I hope you will read it and let me know if so.
Maybe next time I will tell a couple of the crazy things that happened while we were dining.
posted by Jennifer at 11:12 PM
3 Comments:
What a great friendship. This book looks timely for my reading/thinking process.
I appreciate that you rightfully call it "the South", as opposed to "down South" (incorrect), which is what I usually hear in Denver!
yes, kathy, assuming is the other half of comparison, isn't it? soaking in His truth sounds like the best way to wash clean of the previous 2, but getting to the point of seeing beauty in the non-perfection--i'm not quite there yet! if non-perfection equals weakness, then it's the perfect place for His strength to be made known. so why do i despise being there, especially when He reveals that it is exactly where He can begin to work and bring His strength into my situation? we were just talking about this in our group and realizing we sometimes need each other to remind us and to help pull us through the hard spots. maybe that is part of His strength for us.
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