"The love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say, 'What are you going through?'" -Simone Weil
I'm in full-on retrospecting mode this week. And as I've reflected on the events and happenings of 2009, I've come to the conclusion that I owe a big debt of gratitude to my Thursday morning girls.
In January, when I had to make a difficult choice and deal with the outcome, they hugged me and told me I was brave and strong. I believed them, and then I was brave and strong.
When I was prone to self-criticism and doubt, their affirmations bolstered me. When I brought the same issues to the table week after week, they never told me to get my act together. Their patience helped me have patience with myself, and reminded me that God shows patience to me as well.
When I leaped over hard hurdles, they cheered for me. When I said I needed to take a break from the hurdles, they assured me that was ok, too. When I moved in April, they showed up to unload boxes, make my bed, and settle me into the new apartment. When I broke my foot in June, they drove me to the grocery store.
One rainy day in September, during an especially trying week, an angel in yellow galoshes surprised me at my office, bringing with her a care package of fun snacks, a Vanity Fair, and a bottle of Scotch. Her care and concern carried me through that week.
Time after time after time this year, text messages/emails/phone calls from these sweet girls all arrived at the moments when I most needed them. "We're thinking of you," they said, "And we know you can get through this." I believed them, and I got through it.
Donald Miller remarked once in an interview, "Surrounding ourselves by communities of people who affirm a positive identity is the way to change." Upon hearing that, I thought, "Aha! That's exactly what my community has done for me this year!"
They affirmed my God-given identity, and they spoke God's truth to me. And slowly, slowly, I believed them. And then stepped up to inhabit that identity and believe that truth.
And so, as the year draws to a close, I want to acknowledge how blown away, humbled, and grateful I am for this group. Their love has not left me unchanged.
In January, when I had to make a difficult choice and deal with the outcome, they hugged me and told me I was brave and strong. I believed them, and then I was brave and strong.
When I was prone to self-criticism and doubt, their affirmations bolstered me. When I brought the same issues to the table week after week, they never told me to get my act together. Their patience helped me have patience with myself, and reminded me that God shows patience to me as well.
When I leaped over hard hurdles, they cheered for me. When I said I needed to take a break from the hurdles, they assured me that was ok, too. When I moved in April, they showed up to unload boxes, make my bed, and settle me into the new apartment. When I broke my foot in June, they drove me to the grocery store.
One rainy day in September, during an especially trying week, an angel in yellow galoshes surprised me at my office, bringing with her a care package of fun snacks, a Vanity Fair, and a bottle of Scotch. Her care and concern carried me through that week.
Time after time after time this year, text messages/emails/phone calls from these sweet girls all arrived at the moments when I most needed them. "We're thinking of you," they said, "And we know you can get through this." I believed them, and I got through it.
Donald Miller remarked once in an interview, "Surrounding ourselves by communities of people who affirm a positive identity is the way to change." Upon hearing that, I thought, "Aha! That's exactly what my community has done for me this year!"
They affirmed my God-given identity, and they spoke God's truth to me. And slowly, slowly, I believed them. And then stepped up to inhabit that identity and believe that truth.
And so, as the year draws to a close, I want to acknowledge how blown away, humbled, and grateful I am for this group. Their love has not left me unchanged.
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