Friendship!

5th grade... that was a long time ago. 18 years to be exact. When I look back on school, that was my favorite year, mostly because the books we got to read were the best. You can't beat "Where the Red Fern Grows!" It was also the year that I met my two best friends, Stacy and Mary. Stacy and I were friends all throughout middle school, and our friendship really blossomed when, well I had no one else, and she had compassion on me, despite how mean and dramatic I could be. Mary, moved away after 5th grade. Not that I minded. The one time Stacy and I tried to hangout with her, it wasn't really exciting. :)

BUT in 10th grade, Mary moved back and was placed in my world history class. I knew I wanted to be her friend when our teacher, Mrs. Charters asked her a question, and Mary, who was kind of quiet, promptly answered the question correctly, and then buried her nose back in her book. Upon closer inspection, I realized that Mary wasn't reading her history book at all, instead she was reading some fashion article in some teen magazine, that just happened to fit perfectly inside the cover of her textbook. Genius. I laughed, and knew immediately I wanted us to be friends.

Mary, Stacy, and I have been a trio since high school. Those girls have profoundly impacted my life, and I am so grateful that here we are, adults, a good distance removed from high school, and I still consider them my sisters.

Mary is leaving on Saturday to go back to Sudan for a year. Stacy, and Mary came to Chattanooga so we could spend some time together, and it was a wonderful weekend... very laid back, which was good since I have the plague. Saturday was especially fun, as we spent some time walking around downtown by the river, taking pictures and laughing. Before Stacy left on Saturday, the three of us sat on my bed, and prayed over Mary. It was a special time indeed, and I'm glad we had that opportunity.

Stacy left Saturday, and then Sunday Mary hungout with me at church all day, and then got to meet the guys and Rebecca, and hangout for awhile. It was a lot of fun, and it made me happy to look around the room to see a friend from home, friends from camp, and friends from my new life in Chattanooga, all hanging out and having fun. It was special for sure.

Praying for Mary and so excited for what the next year of her life is going to hold!