friends

All posts tagged friends

Week 17 of Deployment – A friend who sticks closer than a brother

Posted by Sisterhood of the Traveling Military Pants on April 30, 2012
Posted in: Family and Children, Military Life. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

“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!

Image

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!

Week 7 of Deployment – Happy Valentine’s Day to Me

Posted by Sisterhood of the Traveling Military Pants on February 14, 2012
Posted in: Faith, Family and Children, Military Life. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.”  Galations 6:9 ESV

About a week ago, I was asked to help with the “Date Night” my church annually hosts on Valentine’s Day where they have the youth group and leaders watch the children while couples go on a date.  It’s a great ministry and we participated last year.  It was a blast and where else can you leave your kids with their friends and trusted Sunday School teachers for $5 and go out for 3 hours?  So when I was asked to assist, my friend commented…”Now that’s just cruel” considering our deployment.  But actually, I was going to volunteer anyway.  I was delighted to give back to others’ marriages.  My kids were able to see their friends, watch movies and eat pizza.  What more could I ask for on Valentine’s Day!

Well when it rains, it pours……I also volunteered to help with my daughter’s party at school, i.e. normal stuff of organizing, preparing food, crafts, etc.  And in addition to the long process it normally takes for the actual writing of Valentine’s Day cards, I knew I had to prepare.

And lastly, a friend and I had been meaning to get together and her time to do it was this afternoon between gigs.  So in addition of all the prep work, I had to have a clean house to and have ample snacks!

So at the end of today, I’m exhausted!  But it was time well spent.  My daughter said it was the best party ever, my friend and I had a great time and I saw many couples enjoy a very well-needed time together.  But I feel that I was blessed to be a blessing….a friend watched my son while I was at my daughter’s party, another friend came by to deliver a care package for the children….all sorts of toys and games for them and I received a very needed letter from my husband.  How kind and sweet is all of that?!  I could say that my Valentine’s Day wish was to be with my husband and that would have made it a perfect day.  But all the blessings of today makes it a close second!

Today's artwork

Week 6 of Deployment – for the love of bowling!

Posted by Sisterhood of the Traveling Military Pants on February 8, 2012
Posted in: Faith, Family and Children, Military Life. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

“I’ll be with you, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:20 The Message

So first of all, speaking of “day after day”, I have realized this past month that I’m not good at keeping a daily journal.  I’m kind of free spirit writer so I thought I’d put my thoughts together weekly.

Things have been busy with all of the normal activities that consume us like chauffeuring children, school and extra-curricular activities, church stuff, moms group stuff, house stuff, tax stuff and now searching our new location (Hawaii) for all that same stuff!  But I stopped in my tracks today when my daughter told me as we were driving that she wanted to pray for daddy….and she led the sweetest prayer.  Life can get overwhelming, but I’m encouraged by the thought that I’m not alone.  Even though I often feel alone for the obvious physical reason, I know I am not.

All kinds of great people have come into our life, even just a few in passing.  Like tonight, we went bowling….not something I normally do, but it’s been a new thing during this deployment.  Well, my son made a friend in the lane next to us….a nice active duty man who seemed to be semi-pro just based on his own bowling shoes and ball!  He was so kind the entire time….high-fiving, cheering, giving pointers….all that good stuff.  My son just lit up and loved the attention.  Meanwhile, my daughter who opted out during frame 5, made another friend at a table nearby.  A very elderly gentleman, who I gathered may be a retiree hanging out to eat the healthy and delicious bowling food!  Well, he and my little daughter were quite the pair.  When his food was ready at the counter, my daughter yelled to him….”Our chicken is ready!”  I don’t think he knew she had attached herself to him.  When I went up to them sitting together at the table, he laughed and said he wasn’t sure if he should be offended because she told him that she had a sister his age…….and that her sister was a 184!!!!!!!!!!  That number has been her favorite number for a long time and we had a nice laugh about it.  So she doesn’t have a sister and nor is she a Highlander!

Little do these kind strangers know that they were friends to some children who desperately missed their daddy.  God is so good to be a friend to us when we need it, to have someone share a kind word or a bowling center chicken meal!  I thank God that we are not lonely, that He is with us every day and He has sent friends!

Day 2 of Deployment

Posted by Sisterhood of the Traveling Military Pants on January 9, 2012
Posted in: Family and Children, Military Life. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don’t be troubled or afraid.”  John 14:27 NLT

Well, I have to say that I am troubled.  It was a good day in all ways….spoke to my wonderful husband, the kids made items to send, got a lot accomplished before school begins, taking online language classes, etc.  I would summarize it as a good day…………well, at least until several other moms asked me to take care of their kids soon.  What?  What happened to being supportive and helpful?  What about my spouse being deployed screams, “yes, please add to my load”.  Seriously?  So yes, I need the gift of peace for my mind and heart from God because it is obvious to me that the world is not giving it!!!