Right Back at Ya!!

Yesterday my best friend Steph posted this, wishing me a Happy Birthday.

Well, today is her birthday! Sadly, she still isn't as old as me, but I wish her a happy day anyway.

Everything she said in her post about me is exactly how I feel about her, except that she was lying about how great I am. Honestly, I'm kind of a hag. But, she loves me anyway! And that's why we are best friends! What's the saying? "A best friend is someone who knows all the worst things about you, but loves you anyway." I think it goes something like that.

Steph and I met about 8 years ago when Rick and I moved here and started attending the church where her husband was the youth pastor. She has a daughter, Lauren, who instantly became Dawson's best friend. And they are still best friends today, or are they cousins? I can't remember. I do know they share a brain, though. And I also know that Dawson didn't learn to tie his shoes until he and Lauren were no longer in homeroom together. But, I digress.

I got to thinking about Steph yesterday. And, you know, it occurred to me that in all of the difficult times I have had lately, especially in the past two years, she has never once given me any advice. She just encourages me and tells me that she is praying for me. In fact, just a few months ago, at a moment when my life was on the verge of being forever altered, I called her. All I could say was, "I don't know what to do. I need help. I need help!" She said, "I know." She was crying. And then she started praying for me right there on the phone. All I remember about that prayer was her asking the Holy Spirit to speak through me. I know, without any hesitation, that I was able to save the most precious thing in the world to me because of that prayer. Any other friend might have started throwing out advice. But, she didn't. She just held my hand through that phone and helped me gain the strength I needed. I am forever grateful for that!

It's funny. We get together to talk occasionally, or to scrapbook, and there have been so many times that she has been frustrated with her husband, or I have been frustrated with mine, or we are having an issue with one of our kids. The one with problems will start to vent, and before it's all over the helpful one of us has turned the situation around so that the problem one sees her part in the situation and what she should have done or can do better. We have never been the kind of girlfriends who get together and bash our husbands or rag on our kids. Our friendship has always been one of lifting each other up, and setting each other straight.

My greatest times with Steph are the couple of weekends a year that we get together to go scrapbook. Usually we scrapbook our vacations, and it's so fun to share those memories with each other. This year we had the pleasure (was it pleasure??) of planning a vacation together. If you follow my blog you read all about how smoothly that went!! Even despite the detours, we had the opportunity to see some of God's most gorgeous creation together, we had some extreme laughs, and some extreme tears. Although we were apart a lot of the trip, it brought us closer. I will cherish those memories for as long as I live.

So, Miss Stephanie, I want you to know that without you my life would not be the same. I love you. I treasure you. You are my sister. You are my best friend. Thank you for loving my hateful self. Thank you for encouraging me. Thank you for trying to help to keep me sane. Thank you for all the ways in which you help me. Thank you for loving my children. You are one of the hardest working women I know. I admire your love of and devotion to your family. I admire how you are constantly giving to others. God has used you in such mighty ways so far in your 37 years of life and He is forever proud of you, as am I.

I hope that you have a blessed day! Happy Birthday!