Girlfriends

I got to see some of my friends yesterday.  I had to go on a number of errands and decided it was past time.  Some of these women I haven’t seen since before the Covid 19 lockdown.  I haven’t exactly been lonely, there are six people and 3 dogs in my home during this time, there is really no shortage of people, but there is something special about our girlfriends.   I missed them so much.  So yesterday I decided to grab some inexpensive flowers and go on a small visiting tour.   I didn’t get to all of them, but I saw four.  Four beautiful women, who have become very central in my life.  Women who truly know me, love me, and are always a call away.  Oh, how I have missed them.

We are all in different life stages.  One is home with young children trying to finish up online school, while her husband, an essential worker works 24 hour shifts several days a week.  One has grown kids and is working with her husband in their family business and they pretty much only see each other 24/7.  One who usually travels a lot for work has been home in this season, but unable to spend the time she wishes she could with her grandchildren during the lockdown.  Another is long since retired and lost her husband last year, grappling with all the firsts since her husband passed, and adding the additional isolation of this season.  All of them are beautiful women, who love people, love God, and love life.  All of them are impacted by this lockdown, and oh how we miss each other.

One of my friends actually squealed and jumped for joy when I arrived.  I visited with every one of them a little longer than intended, managed to overheat my car attempting to keep my groceries cool while we visited, it was worth it.  I had almost forgotten how refreshing and recharging their presence is.  We were created for this.  We were created to be in relationship with God and with each other, and in this season my friend tank was running pretty close to empty.

And yet, even as I write this, I can remember a time when these relationships didn’t really exist.  The days of girlfriends of my youth faded to my new marriage, my new family, work friends, church friends, mom friends.  They were still friends, but it was different, each of those only knew that side of me, our common ground was our environment or our children, not a genuine love of each other.  But in the last decade or so, God has taken me on an identity finding journey, and in that season He made clear the necessity of friends.  We have to walk through this life with others, we weren’t meant to do it alone.  So often, it is exactly the fear of being alone, that leads us to settle for lesser relationships.  In this last season, I have been incredibly blessed to have friends who have seen me at my worst and my best, they have cheered for me, cried with me, and yes, even yelled at me.  They have walked in truth and grace.  The road to that hasn’t always been easy, there has been hurt and pain and friendship lost, but staying in the fight, fighting for and with people we love, refusing to allow the accusing voice of the enemy to have the final say, and refusing to give up because it’s hard, is so absolutely worth it.

So, if today, your friendship tank is running low because of current circumstances, reach out to those women who fill your tank and allow their presence whether in person, over the phone, or through messaging to breathe life and hope and joy over you.  And if you find yourself unsure of who exactly those people might be, then invite God into that, odds are, they are already close by.