"I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends"

The song titled above has been playing on repeat in my mind's jukebox today. I think I know why.

Last night was a much needed recharge at the end of a long busy day. I arrived to my church fellowship group early to find my girls, Gina and Christina hanging out. I joined and received a rejuvenation I didn't even know I was needing. From things they said, they did as well. It didn't take much, really. We chatted for less than half an hour, laughed over dinner and then left the discussion group early to all attend to different personal matters. Yet, it was just enough to satiate my soul in a way I wasn't expecting. I love those girls and have definitely been blessed by their friendships over the last several years. The encouragement and accountability they provide in my life have kept me afloat more times than I can count and most likely more times than I might even know this side of heaven.

Then there's Becka. She and I had the most unusual beginning. We have a large group of mutual friends that all went to college together. We frequently ended up at the same parties, but inevitably these parties would digress into one large stroll down college memory lane that left Becka and I out. So we began to migrate towards each other at these functions and make up our own shared college memories. Those fake memories then began turning into real ones as we began to hang out without the mutual friends. Now several years later, after life has had several twists and turns, neither of us hang with that group much anymore, but our own friendship has never been stronger. I got to stand beside Becka as she got married this past summer and we've entered into a new chapter of friendship. She married the male version of me and they have become one of the few couples that I can hang out with not feel like a third wheel. Because we are close in age and have kindred convictions, she understands aspects of my life that very few others can. I'm so glad we didn't go to college with our friends or else we might have never bonded.

Another dear friend of mine, Brittany, is a constant source of loyalty, honesty, accountability and spiritual companionship in my life. We have committed to hanging out at least weekly in order to catch up and dissect life together. That commitment means the world to me. And speaking of world, Brittany has shown it to me. Literally. Her love of all things international has taught me so much and sparked new interests in me as well. We've traveled across the pond together and that's hopefully just the first of the stamps we'll collect in our passports together. Another passion of hers is literacy, which brings me to the main point of this post. For the Lenten season, Britt has decided to give up reading in order to better understand the plight of those with little or no reading skills and to raise awareness of the issue. I'm so proud of her for taking this on and am beyond excited to see how this season unfolds. I've already learned a ton and expect that it will continue to change me as I walk alongside her through this adventure. Here's Britt's first blog about the experiment. Please read. I hope you are educated, enlightened and challenged by her words and her passion. I know I am.

40 Days Without Words

As I conclude this post and reflect upon what's been written after the title, I'm beyond blessed to realize that I don't just get by, I THRIVE with the help of my friends.