My lesson for today was of friends.
My first appointment was with a woman whom I don't know well, but who has always been kind and supportive. She and I have never really sat and talked, so it was interesting to do so for the first time. I felt good as I left, and look forward to building that friendship as God allows in the future.
My next meeting was with a couple who may not seem like people I would naturally tend to hang out with. However, over the years, they have proved to be the most dependable, caring friends I could ever ask for. When nobody else was there for me, they were. Consistently.
We had a really nice talk, sometimes chatting about light, easy things. At the same time, we were able to get down to some nitty gritty topics and dig deep.
I appreciate people like this in my life. They are people who care enough about me to bother to ask tough questions. They have years of wisdom and experience to share. I am grateful they are willing to take the time to offer their advice. I basked in their knowledge. I left feeling well cared for and blessed. They gave me creative new ideas and sturdy, sound suggestions to carry forward.
In the evening I was able to meet with someone I haven't seen in over 3 years, although it feels like much less. We used to be co-workers when I lived in Salt Lake. Our backgrounds are different, but we are kindred spirits.
She invited me for Ethiopian food at a restaurant her friends own, which was awesome because Ethiopian is my favorite food. It is something I long for when I am in Honduras.
I appreciated the fact that, although we used to work together, we barely talked about that place. We didn't need to lean on that mutual experience to bridge us back together. We have both moved on to bigger and better things. She is a woman who has not had an easy life but finally things seem to be falling into place. She looked super, is overcoming physical problems that have been ruling her life for many years, and is turning to God about emotional stressors. It was great to see her doing so well!
We shared some laughs and talked about our dreams for the future. We are both in such great places now that our dreams seem much more within grasp and reasonable than they did when we last spent time together three years ago. It was an exciting and uplifting reunion.
Today I give thanks for true, good friends.
