Lessons I'm Learning - Part Two (Friends)

As Dan & I have been watching "The Wonder Years" on Netflix lately, the theme song (based on the Beatles tune) has been stuck in my brain.

In the last month, God has surrounded me with friends I don't really deserve. I guess that's called grace. I don't know how I will ever be able to repay these people, they have truly been "Jesus with skin on."

One friend gave up the better part of 2 days (one while her parents were here from the West Coast) to drive me into Omaha and document my meetings with HR. She was able to give me objective feedback, prayer support, and practical encouragement.

Another friend gave me her home for a day so I wouldn't be alone. Together we drank tea, talked, cried, wrapped presents, I cut out a sewing project on her kitchen table...I was able to find retreat. She then arranged a lunch date for myself and her daughter (due to give birth at any moment...a good thing I didn't know she was having contractions while we were out!)

Two friends (fellow music teachers) showed up on a Wednesday after work and started to box up my classroom. Two more friends from my church in Lincoln came to Omaha on Friday with more boxes, chocolate, and ears. Together, they helped me turn the emotional task of packing 7 years of memories into a time of closure and a step toward healing.

I went way over our cell phone minutes for the month with friends who offered advice, counsel, Scripture, or just listened to my heart (and my tears, and my sniffles and nose blowing.)

The countless people I never spoke with, but were praying nonetheless...one even sent me a tea bag squeezer, knowing how much I love my tea :)

And while I'm probably forgetting many people, I can't leave out my family. My Oregon family who let me escape for awhile. The ones who have sometimes had hard things to tell me. The ones who keep picking up the phone, even though I have nothing new to tell them. My husband who allowed me to go over those cell phone minutes and didn't put up *too* much of a fuss about the bill. A man who graciously stepped aside and let the women in my life help me with "estrogen therapy." A man who told me upon the transition "Don't worry about the house for a few weeks. I've got everything covered." (And he did a great job! Although I do think it's time to step back into the real world again...we're down to mac & cheese or waffles for dinner now.) A man who prayed and listened, and let me rant. And then there's the daughter. The one who told me a story about a stressed out mommy who missed her students and had tough new schools. The mommy who was visited by an angel who told her "do not be afraid. God's holding you in His hand." The daughter who would slip notes under the bedroom door saying "Always know Jesus loves you" or "Dear Mom, remember God loves you! G+A=<3"

And while I know that God alone is all I need, He also knew how much I would need to know I'm loved and see my value through the eyes of my friends.