Last summer, I moved three and a half hours away from everything and nearly everyone I knew. It was okay, because it was temporary. I was only in Athens for the summer, and then I would get back to my comfort zone in Statesboro. {Statesboro: home to the most wonderful university in all the land; a place where many friends and memories were made; a place where I got to do life with some of the most beautiful girls you'll ever meet, while being led by the most godly woman you'll ever meet *shout out to the Best Connect Group Ever;* a place where I learned many things both in and out of the classroom; most importantly, a place where my family was only a phone call away (Seriously, y'all. I once called Mama Kelli crying about something, and she was at my doorstep within an hour just to cheer me up and spend time with me WHILE I WAS AT WORK. Also, Daddy was able to go to football games and campus events with me, and I was able to squeeze my little brothers and sister with huge bear hugs a lot more often)}. Please don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my husband with everything I have, and I am more than thrilled to be on this new journey with him, but moving away from all of my friends and family was not exactly easy the first time, and it was even harder the second time I did it this past December, because it was more "permanent." Now, it was time to actually find my niche in Athens, rather than calling it my home away from home for a couple of months. I'm not sure if anyone else has experienced this, but it's hard to make new friends after college. Sure, I talk to teachers at work (I'm currently subbing in our local school system), but it's always very surface level, co-workery, school-related stuff. I'll chat with neighbors in passing, but I tend to lay low so I don't come across as a creepy-over-bearing freak of a neighbor. Other than the sweet companionship of my hubby, the friendship department has been running kind of dry, and I'm a firm believer in having some good girl friends that you can talk to and hang out with whenever you need to, so that's not really my ideal situation.
That all changed recently.
A few weeks ago, Hubby and I joined a nearly/newlywed Life Group through our church. I'll be completely honest, at first, I was hesitant ('cause that's a great way to make friends, huh?). I didn't know these people. This wasn't my old Connect Group. What if we didn't really mesh well? What if they were really different and not very accepting of me or us? What if . . . ? All what ifs went out the window within the first 15 minutes of our first real meeting as a group. We were sharing our stories, our backgrounds, our shampoos (don't judge; I learned it's a good way to get to know interesting facts about people), and most importantly (at least, for me at the time), some great laughs. Just within the past couple of weeks, I've grown to absolutely love these people. We did dinner with each other tonight, and time seriously passed within the blink of an eye because we were having such a good time carrying on about life. Tomorrow, some of the wives and I plan to get together to bake (I get to learn a super-secret fudge recipe). Those are friends, right? Yes. These are the new beginnings to some wonderful friendships at a time when I need them most. That's what I call God's timing. That's what I call a blessing.
Another blessing: I also got to meet with a sweet friend and her precious baby boy for coffee today. We met a few years ago at a New Year's Eve party and have gotten together with each other and our hubbies for dinner a couple of times, but today, we got to just sit and talk for hours (which again, passed in the blink of an eye) about how life is going, where life is heading, and about the way God is working things out for us in His perfect time. This friend's a little older than me and has a lot more experience in the marriage department, baby department (obviously; there aren't any Little Kennedy babies running around this apartment, unless you count our cat, Audrey), and in life in general. She gave me a lot of great perspectives on several different things, and we just had an overall great time catching up and playing with her little man (gosh, if I could get more of those sweet smiles and snuggles). Our friendship may have technically begun a while ago, but today, I feel like it really took off, and I love it.
God knew I needed some great friends to fellowship with and some great girl time, and that's exactly what He's given me. How blessed am I that He always provides in every way? This new beginning has been a little scary, and at times, a little lonely, but it's brought some wonderful blessings, and I'm so excited to continue down this path with Hubby to see where God's plan takes us.
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