Remembering, Week 3

I've written on here before about friends, friendship, and feeling as if I belong. In fact, the post about anxiety, insecurity, and friendship is the most read post on this entire blog! Most of the time I feel good about myself and how things are going in my social life, but sometimes I get stuck and feel as if I don't have any friends.

I sent a text to Larisa, who is my oldest friend after Jared, to ask for some advice. I explained how I was feeling - kind of on the edges of the groups of people around me but never fully part of things. As usual, she gave me wise advice but following that advice will require me to get outside of my comfort zone. Normally I like to stay firmly where I'm comfortable, but I read something that stuck with me this week - there is no growth in a comfort zone and no comfort in a growth zone. That perspective made me willing to stretch a little bit.  I'm paraphrasing here, but Larisa's advice was to just put myself out there and invite myself to things if I have to.

But you know that Heavenly Father has always got my back and before I even had to try and screw up the courage to invite myself to hang out with someone, I was invited to go out by one of the other ladies from church. So earlier this week we met up to go walking in Thetford Forest. I appreciated having the chance to get to know her better and to share a little bit of what's been going on in my life right now. I especially appreciated that she reached out to me. It was what I needed to turn my bad attitude about life around and more easily see the good.

I'm grateful for friends old and new this past week who helped me see the love of God in my life and who reminded me of how much I'm cared about. The hymn "Each Life That Touches Ours For Good" has always been a favorite of mine. I cry basically every time I sing it because it makes me think of all the friends who have blessed my life. There's a lot of good in our nomadic life, but I sometimes wish I could bring all our friends along with us every time we move so I wouldn't have to keep starting over.

What greater gifts dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways


Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

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