I get by with a little help from my friends

I have amazing friends. The type of friends that have been together for 20 years and still will be when we are sitting around in muumuus in Boca. I like to think we are a mix of the girls from Friends, Sex and the City and The Golden Girls. Each one of us brings something different to the mix. I love my girls and would do anything for them. I have depended on them in some of the most difficult times in my life and have been able to rejoice and celebrate with them during some of the best times in my life. I have been in all their weddings (except one or two) and have the dresses to prove it - thankfully none of them picked any super hideous dresses but I have yet to find an opportunity to be able to "shorten them and wear again"! ;) In fact, we are so close, three of us even had baby boys within 2 weeks of eachother (not on purpose)!

Unfortunately, I miss my friends. They are spread all over the states, it seems. From Nevada to Virginia to Ohio. I do have one of the besties here in Michigan, but she's an hour away and between both of our schedules it's hard to plan an activity more than once every couple of months or so. I have "tried on" other friends over the years and only a couple have made the "cut" into my inner circle but most just fizzle and fade away. I almost feel guilty, at times, for trying to find "replacements" or substitutes for my girls but then I realize I will never be able to do that. They are irreplacable and have helped shape me into the person I am today.

Our pastor (Randy Wheeler - Twin Oaks Christian Church) did a sermon a couple weeks ago that made me think of my friends and as I listened to his words, I felt the Lord urging me to share some of his points. The series he's been doing has been called "Help!" and he's been using Beatles songs as a starting point! (Have I mentioned before how much I love our church?? :) The verses he used were 1 Samual 18:1-23:18 and I thought I post some of the points.

Why do we need friends?

-We need friends who will LOVE us
-We need friends who will WARN us
-We need friends who will REJOICE and WEEP with us
-We need allies who will DEFEND us
-We need teammates who will ENCOURAGE us

If you want to HAVE good friends, then you need to BE a good friend!

I hope and pray that that my friends can say the same about me. I love you guys and "thank you for being a friend"! :)