Soundtrack Sunday - The Sappy Version

When I first to moved to my new neighborhood, I tried very hard to make new friends. I mean, who doesn't try that?

Umm, Yeah.

That didn't work out so well for me. I actually had 3 people tell me that they just didn't have "time" for friends in the their lives right now. They were busy with their own sisters , Mom's, kids and taking care of their family, so having friends just didn't fit into that plan.

Yeah. Can you say ouch?

I would complain to Jefe about the ridiculous cross country move, and did he even realize the sacrifice I had made to do this? Yeah, I was closer to my family, but by being closer to family, I had to leave behind all my friends. All of my friends that I loved and that accepted me and all my weirdness. Then I would cry because making friends in my new neighborhood wasn't working out too well for me.

Jefe is a wise man. He would say to me that the only reason these women in my neighborhood didn't "need me" was because they had never really experienced the level of friendship that I had. If they had, they would make time for real friends. I think on some level, that is probably true. When you have experienced, as a grown up, what its like to have real friends -- ones that let you be you-- it is something that you are not willing to ever go without.

As a "grown up", I have been blessed to have amazing women in my life that I call my friends. What a blessing these women are, and I think they may not even realize what they mean to me. Whenever I think about them, I think of this song. I have been changed for good by knowing them. They inspire me to be better a better mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend and just plain old human being.

Some of my friends I have not seen in a very very long time... like her, her, her, and her. It actually hurts my heart to think that it has been 2 years since I have seen some of them... but thank God for cell phones, email, instant messaging, and blogs. I think it would hurt more if it were like the olden days, and I couldn't get my daily fix of my dear friends.

The one thing that I always find amazing with regards to my Heavenly Father, is that he always knows exactly what it is that I need. Sometimes he makes me wait a long time to get it... but he always answers my prayers... eventually.

I finally have friends in my new neighborhood. It only took 2.5 years, but I finally have them. And it wasn't because I was a super outgoing person either. No, I had pretty much given up. But Heavenly Father hadn't. No HE intervened again. It seems that God always blesses me with the perfect friends... ones that I wouldn't choose for myself for whatever reason (usually because they are too beautiful, smart, funny or whatever...)

His intervention blessed with some amazing friends. A friend in my Visiting Teaching companion who is like my long lost sister. She is willing to sing at the top of her lungs with me, talk on the phone with me, and help keep my crazy lady chained up in the closet.

He also blessed me with another person to visit teach who has turned into another good friend. I have known Andrea longer than I haven't. She married the boy that lived next door to me growing up... and now I get to be her visiting teacher. She gets me. She accepts me and she is fabulous!

My co-choir director and pianist for the Elementary school choir have been by my side since I moved here... and I would never have thought we would be such close, close friends. It seemed on the surface, that we were worlds apart and had nothing in common that would help us to even be friends. But, the Lord had a different idea.

My new, crazy-Rock band-playing neighbor has been a great blessing because she & her husband make me laugh. It's the first time in a really, really long time (since MamaRn & Mw) that we have had friends that we both get a long with. It's nice to have friends that not only I like, but Jefe does too.

Then, of course, there is you, my blogging friends. You helped me when I felt like I had no "real life friends" in my new area. You were my imaginary friends, and my real life support group. Blogging, was in a sense, sort of like a big group therapy session for me. I have been able to vent my feelings and frustrations... and get comments back from you. I get to take a peek in your lives, and be inspired to try a little harder to be a little better.

So, today's Soundtrack Sunday is for all of you, my friends-- old and new, real and imaginary. I want you to know that I am who I am today because I know you. Each and everyone of you have left an imprint on my heart... the part that inspires me to be better. Thank you.