“Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.” Proverbs 18:24 The Message
As most military families know, friends become extremely vital for survival, happiness and adaptability. Unlike most situations where one can count on family, friends of choice, circumstance, commonality take that role for us. And for me, I have begun to see friendship in a completely different way. Because I know my time is limited in a location, I tend to be a good judge of character and get deeply connected quickly with a few people. For instance, my one friend who I call “granola” is so interesting to this city girl. She has chickens in her backyard, buys raw milk from a local pasture, only buys from Farmer’s Markets, consults chiropractic care and has a homeopath! I love her! She has been so inspirational to me and I have learned so much from her. She is also a great mother spiritually and practically so it’s been encouraging for me. And she led me to a great juicer which has been life changing!
And there is my other good friend who I call the “Wilderness Explorer”. She received her undergraduate degree in ”Recreation Management with an emphasis in outdoor leadership/outdoor education”. Wow, I didn’t even know that degree existed. So basically, if you had to be stranded in the middle of nowhere, you’d want to be with this chic. She is so kind and funny. She holds her kids’ birthday parties in the middle of nowhere with tractor rides, tents, fire pits where she makes s’mores and desserts over the fire. Get this? Her goody bag was a hobo handkerchief on a stick filled with little first aid kits and personalized tin cups! Again, AMAZING and I love it! But more than her practical outdoor skills is her wonderful friendship knowing that I can text her at any time and she is there for me. She can come over in her pajamas and we watch our favorite TV shows, drink dark hot chocolate with sea salt while husbands are watching kids. And icing on the cake is that our girls are BFF/Besties. This photo says it all on one of their recent tractor rides!
And then there is my “Tiger Mama”, affectionately named after the popular book of late. Yes, she is Asian, but it’s more because she is strict, makes her kids do additional homework every day and even on vacation. She is strongly opinionated and not a fan of chit-chat or most things women get themselves worked up over. She has been a tremendous grounder for me. She has opened up my literary world with her ecclectic taste in reading and has been a great reminder of when I need to step it up with discipline in raising our next generation. She makes me laugh, challenges my paradigms and has an open world view. We are an odd pairing, but what would I do without her.
So I don’t know what our next location holds for us in regard to friends, but I’m already praying for our future relationships! I seem to always have what I need even if I don’t realize I need it it until a year in. And I thank God for amazing people who are so different from me. I treasure them and know I am better for knowing these wonderful ladies!
