Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Tuesday Grace Letter - Free Week

This week's assignment from Kara at Mundane Faithfulness is this:  Share your heart. Write a love letter of grace of your choosing. 

This week I'm writing to my friends. 




To my friends,

I’ve tried to be intentional over the years about telling you what I appreciate about you, but I haven’t always succeeded.  Life gets busy, kids get sick, projects need tending, and intentions fall by the wayside.  I hope you know how much you mean to me. 

Maybe you were one of my first friends ever.  We spent hours playing outside, swinging on swing sets, rolling down hills, learning to ride our bikes.  You were the first friends I had to say goodbye to as we moved away (the first of many times).  And over those years of moving and growing and coming home again, you were still there.  You still are.  We don’t have a shared history of sleepovers and secrets, but you will forever be my friend.  And I am grateful for you.

Maybe you were my elementary and middle school friends.  We spent our time learning together, working together, and growing together.  We had misunderstandings, popularity contests, typical drama that comes along with learning how the world works.  We shared makeup and clothes, spent hours on the phone, and fought over boys.  You were the next groups of friends I had to say goodbye to as we moved away… again.  And I am grateful for you.

Maybe you were my high school friends.  At each of the high schools I attended, I was ‘the new girl’.  You made that easier for me.  We helped each other navigate through the hard years of figuring out who we were and what we believed.  We shared secrets and heartbreak, passed notes in the halls, and tried not to get caught reading them during class.  We swore we’d be Best Friends Forever in our yearbooks and promised to ‘KIT’ over the summer.  J  And I am grateful for you.

Maybe you were my college friends (either at Calvin or KCC).  We leaned on each other as we spread those wings our parents gave us and tested our newfound freedom.  We shared bathrooms and dorm rooms, spent hours studying and taking breaks to watch “Friends” and “ER” down the hall, and worked in Clinic, learning how to clean teeth over a three hour appointment (which we were then expected to shrink into one hour after we got real jobs???).  We shared engagements and weddings, poring over Brides magazines during breaks.  We grew up together.  And I am grateful for you. 

And maybe you’re one of my ‘adult’ friends.   We’ve shared the real world together and I’ve learned so much from you.  You might be married or single, you might have kids or not.  You’ve seen me at my best, you’ve seen me at my worst.  You have supported our family through joys and pain, and have given of yourself in so many ways.  You challenge me to continue to grow in my faith and be the best ME I can be.  And I am grateful for you. 

Thank you to every one of you I’ve been privileged to call ‘friend’ over the years.  The experiences we’ve shared have helped shape me into the person I am today…and I am grateful for you. 
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2 comments:

Staci said...

So blessed to fit into multiple categories with a friend like you!

Amanda said...

SO thankful for you, Staci! <3