“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” - author unknown
Recently, I had the chance to sing a heart-song back to a dear friend.
A close friend from college was diagnosed with cancer. She stood up with me at my wedding and has been walking beside me for years. She is one of a group of girls who changed my life in college. My senior year was full of laughter, tears, drama and just experiencing life. When Jenny was diagnosed with cancer, it made me think a lot about that year we lived together and the woman she has become. If anyone can come through the cancer journey with beauty and grace, it is Jenny. Don't believe me? Check out their blog and read how God was present through out their entire cancer story! Through it all, she maintained a sense of joy and faith that I've never seen before.
I prayed for and I talked to Jenny as often as I could. We emailed back and forth and I tried to ask the honest questions - how are you really doing? There were tears and smiles, but through it all, Jenny taught me so much. Just a couple weeks ago, a great opportunity arose. Jenny was cancer-free, finished with treatments, and ready to celebrate. Unbeknownst to her, some of her friends and her husband had orchestrated the party to end all parties. Almost 200 people came together that night to celebrate Jenny and her survival. You know what the best part was? Jenny (and her amazing husband, John) took none of the credit. They gave all the glory back to God. We sang and praised Him. It was an amazing night.
One of the most amazing things to me was that it was only the second time since graduation that all five of us girls were back together. Sitting there laughing and talking, I mindful that we will always be a part of each other's lives. It may be years before we get together again; we may not talk until another "big" thing happens, but we are connected to one another because of our shared experiences.
Sometimes I wish I could adequately express to those women just how much they mean to me and how much their presence in my life has changed me; past, present and future. I have been blessed to walk beside some amazing friends these past few years, through heartaches and struggles, through joys and surprises. Each one of my close girlfriends has been a part of my life for a very specific reason during a specific season. I also like to think that I have been a part of their lives for a reason.
My challenge for myself today is to take the time to remember my friends; to make time to experience their lives in the here and now, and to remember that there is nothing, nothing that is as precious as the bond we share (other than our relationship with God). We are wired to live together - to laugh together - and to sing together.
A close friend from college was diagnosed with cancer. She stood up with me at my wedding and has been walking beside me for years. She is one of a group of girls who changed my life in college. My senior year was full of laughter, tears, drama and just experiencing life. When Jenny was diagnosed with cancer, it made me think a lot about that year we lived together and the woman she has become. If anyone can come through the cancer journey with beauty and grace, it is Jenny. Don't believe me? Check out their blog and read how God was present through out their entire cancer story! Through it all, she maintained a sense of joy and faith that I've never seen before.
I prayed for and I talked to Jenny as often as I could. We emailed back and forth and I tried to ask the honest questions - how are you really doing? There were tears and smiles, but through it all, Jenny taught me so much. Just a couple weeks ago, a great opportunity arose. Jenny was cancer-free, finished with treatments, and ready to celebrate. Unbeknownst to her, some of her friends and her husband had orchestrated the party to end all parties. Almost 200 people came together that night to celebrate Jenny and her survival. You know what the best part was? Jenny (and her amazing husband, John) took none of the credit. They gave all the glory back to God. We sang and praised Him. It was an amazing night.
One of the most amazing things to me was that it was only the second time since graduation that all five of us girls were back together. Sitting there laughing and talking, I mindful that we will always be a part of each other's lives. It may be years before we get together again; we may not talk until another "big" thing happens, but we are connected to one another because of our shared experiences.
Sometimes I wish I could adequately express to those women just how much they mean to me and how much their presence in my life has changed me; past, present and future. I have been blessed to walk beside some amazing friends these past few years, through heartaches and struggles, through joys and surprises. Each one of my close girlfriends has been a part of my life for a very specific reason during a specific season. I also like to think that I have been a part of their lives for a reason.
My challenge for myself today is to take the time to remember my friends; to make time to experience their lives in the here and now, and to remember that there is nothing, nothing that is as precious as the bond we share (other than our relationship with God). We are wired to live together - to laugh together - and to sing together.
1 Spout:
Thanks for sharing, Emily! Girlfriends are such a HUGE blessing in our lives! I've been learning that a lot this year, as I've prayed to have more intimate and deeper friendships with women. God has been blessing my socks off! We need that connection and we shine so much brighter when we are together than when we are alone. (What I'm about to post is along these lines also, so I could totally relate.)
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