Gonna Be You

 

Good morning friends.

Some mornings you just have to refresh yourself and thank God for the friends and memories you have.

This morning, I'm sitting in my little 2-bedroom Villa at Hilton Head Island.  My girlfriends and I made our annual trip to the beach this year to stay at one of the two Disney beach resorts.  (One is in Hilton Head, and the other one is in Vero Beach, FL.)

Each resort is smaller than any Disney counterpart, and they are a little difficult to book.  Luckily, we were able to finally snag a room in February (our traditional Christmas room hasn't been available for the past two years).

To say this trip has been memorable would be an understatement.  We have have laughed, we have cried, we have eaten (so, so much), and we have had our libations.  It's been a good four days.

I couldn't do life without these two girls.  They make me stay up late, they make me laugh.  They make fun of me.  They give counsel.  When I'm cranky because I have to stay up past 8pm or I sleep in past 8am, they just poke the bear and carry one.

Sometimes, you have to just get away to strip back all the layers of your regular, every day life.  Get real with the people that know you best.  Play "Talk to Me" or "20 Questions" to answer questions no one should know the answers to.

This weekend, we've yelled at each other (sorry about the dog movie); cried tears to each other; and shared all the food and alcohol good friends should share.  We (well, they) danced in the kitchen well past Midnight teaching each other how to Wop and how to sing this song 👇

Life is so much better with these two.  Maybe more to come later.  Right now, packing needs to be done, coffee needs to be sipped, and the last sunrise needs to be documented.

I love you girls more than life itself.  Thank you for yelling at me, laughing together, and making me crawl out of my bubble (okay, maybe you dragged me out of it a bit).  It was a great birthday weekend!  Happy birthday Michelle!

Hit play below.  I woke up to this song this morning, and it was the inspiration for this post.

You can never underestimate the value of good girlfriends!

Simple Friendship Prayer

 

I love this short prayer from today's YouVersion devotional.

Friendships are hard and yet they are so delicate.  Being a healthy friend can mean being honest or it can mean just listening.  Setting boundaries means not getting taking advantage of or not letting a significant other or your family fall to the wayside because of friends (trust me, I've had to learn that one the hard way).

So, I love that this prayer asks God to show us how to be a good friend as well how to set those delicate boundaries.  And I love that it states the obvious, "...no matter what, you are with me and my friends."

That is so sweet.  What a wonderful piece of information to grasp onto!  

Today, pray this prayer at some point in your day.  Pray for your friends, for yourself and your relationship with them, and then thank God for being in the circle with you.  Amen.

Healthy Friendships

 

Love this:

"This is why friendship is such a God-designed gift.  You and I are in desperate need of being seen, invited, welcomed. Of feeling alive, safe, and valued.  Of enjoying others and loving others and needing others.  Of being full of life and pouring life out on others.  

You were not designed to live alone with your heart fighting with your feet, wondering if a room has room for you. Or if a community can commune with you. You were designed to have circles widen for you, and to widen the circle. You were designed to see others, and to be seen by others. You were designed for anchoring others, and to be anchored by others. Because you were designed in God’s image: God is the one who sees, invites, and anchors us all.

Let’s be the friend who is aware of the room, aware of the greater heart postures walking around.  The one who can’t wait to widen the circle and anchor a soul.  The one who remembers the feeling of brave feet but weak hearts. 

The one who knows chocolate pales in comparison to friendship."

This is from the YouVersion reading plan, "How to Have Healthy Friendships."

A good reminder to widen our circles and anchor others.

 Proverbs 11:25, "A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."

"Today, thank God for the friends who have widened the circle for you. Ask God to open your eyes to what friends need: a circle-widener. "