Day 3 - Initiate! (Thoughts on Friendship)

Alright, I will be perfectly honest.  I did not wake up 2 hours earlier this morning.  I've been waiting all school year to sleep past 6am, and as much as I love writing, I am not willing to do this.  Yet.  This link helped me realize how important it is to make writing a daily habit, even if I can't get myself out of bed. 

But as I thought about today's challenge, I thought about initiating in another way...initiating friendship.

I learned an important life lesson one day at a MOPS playdate in Houston, Texas.

We had just moved to the area and I felt like a hillbilly at a formal dinner.   All the women seemed so…accessorized.   I was busy chasing around my  two boys, who were 4 and 2 at the time and I was pregnant with my third boy!  Sweet Lord.  I was so lonely at home all day in a new town. 

Thank goodness for MOPS.  Another mom with a little boy started making small talk with me and said, “Sooo…how long have you lived here?” 

“Oh, we just moved in a couple of weeks ago from Michigan.”

“Really?  Do you have family here?”

“Nope.  The only person I know is my realtor.”  (Insert sad violin music, right?)

She blinked at me for a moment, then said matter-of-factly with a slight southern accent:

“Well, be my friend!”

I could’ve wept  into my goldfish crackers.  It was the most beautiful thing I’d heard in weeks. 

I’ve got to be more sensitive to others.  I must look around and ask the Lord who needs an arm around the shoulders and a heart that understands.  I have to forget what I need sometimes and meet the needs of others. 

And the funny thing is, that’s when I become more fulfilled anyway.