Remember when...

I have a birthday coming up.  It's really breathing down my neck, actually ;-)  It's one of the big 5's, and staring it in the face makes me think back to an age that I just didn't want to see come.  Do you remember a birthday that you just didn't want to come?

For many years I didn't want to see 30, I was afraid of it for some reason.  In my young mind, I thought for sure that 30 was just going to be old, that for some reason 'fun' would stop happening and I would succumb to that old boring lifestyle that I dreaded!!  Now that I am past 30, I look back on this and chuckle.  My life has no where near slowed down... in fact, many days I feel it ramping up!  For my Memory Lane post today I am sharing a post from a blog long ago deleted, when I was looking towards 30 with some trepidation ;-)

There must be something said for the invaluable friend!! These are the people who make your day bright and shiny just by being there. Most of the time my friends can't even be here with me. My best friend and I have been separated my miles our entire friendship. We have always laughed at those who say "long distance doesn't work!" Well, we had to make it work!

What I would really like to drive home about friends is the value of them. They tell you about yourself. When you listen, they cause you to grow. My best friend has pushed me to the limits, has been beyond furious with me, but has always stood by my side. She has forced me to see how selfish I can be, she has been honest about my stupidities, but she walks with me through the aftermath of every life malfunction I have faced. Having that in my life has been a blessing. And up until recently, she has been my only friend. The only one to stand the test of time and be in my corner for years!!

I hail her right now since we are both reaching a mile-stone birthday. One we both dreaded coming. But here we are, facing our 30's together and we still have a solid friendship that began at the young age of 13. We are both married, have children, and have so much life together under our belts, that we can sit together in a room, and not have to carry conversation. We can sit and just BE together. That alone is healing for me!!

God has blessed me with a handful of friends now. These are people who know me well and still want to spend time with me and share their lives with me. I treasure each and every one of them. And as a test of that strength, I don't get to be near any of them!! But I lean heavily on their advice, their encouragement, and their humor!! All this is necessary, we are not made to do this life alone. We must have Christ, and we must have Christians to walk along with. 


 Thank you God for my friends, they are often the only beacon of light on my dark days!!