God's Grace in Friendship

Fair warning — my mind is ebbing, flowing and
even floaming, like those waves that dash and
dart, teasing to where the edge of the beach really is.
So, before reading any further, you may want to take a Dramamine or put on a pair of pressure point stretchy bracelets my husband wore on school bus trips to cross-country meets — to “the bottom of Idaho!”

Yvette Wyatt

Usually, I send Janet my blog the day it’s DUE! because that’s when I finish writing it — that’s how 99.3% of all my writing assignments have been written. This isn’t scheduled until June, but I’m writing it WAY early because my thoughts (and emotions) are bouncing all around the topic of friendship and need to be tacked down or I won’t get anything else accomplished (can’t say ‘done’ because I will hear the echo of my 7th grade English teacher, “‘DONE’ is for when to pull a turkey from the oven”.

‘Friendship’ is selected for four reasons, all to be presented here, from easiest to much less easy.

First, I have a beautiful book, Between Friends by Lynne Gerard, with amazingly poetic thoughts on friendship. I recently revisited this book and felt it would be good to find an opportunity to share a few. I hope they offer points of reflection, connection and perhaps remembrance.
​

A good friend
      is like a rare shell
   washed upon a
  quiet beach.
One who discovers
      such a friend
finds a priceless
gift from
     God.

Second, McLane mentioned our next sermon series (which we are now appreciating I’m sure) will be on Friendship. When he said it, his sentence was a normal sentence, but his tone and affect were a teensy bit excited. He might have even raised his brows. So, I feel like offering some thoughts on friendship may be timely., McLane mentioned our next sermon series (which we are now appreciating I’m sure) will be on Friendship. When he said it, his sentence was a normal sentence, but his tone and affect were a teensy bit excited. He might have even raised his brows. So, I feel like offering some thoughts on friendship may be timely.
​

​The struggle to
        make ends meet     
      in this busy,
             complex world
often burdens our
             hearts…
                   friendship
                      helps soften
                    the hard edge
                           of
                         life

Third, I am excited to share the exciting news (so excited I can’t provide a simile for excited) that Adult Discipleship, at the behest of a group of women, will present to Session, the idea of planning a Women’s Retreat for this fall!

(I write this the week before Session meets, so if for some strange reason, it’s not approved, I’ll have to edit this blog. And be sad. Very sad.)

Our last retreat was in 2014. Math is not an area of strength, but even I can see that it was 10 years ago, literally, a decade! That retreat was wonderful, delightful, enriching, uplifting, relaxing, and at the top of the descriptors: friendship building. Established friendships were refreshed; acquaintance friendships were deepened and new friendships were planted. Can you hear why I am so, so, so ... thrilled?
(Decided I better look up a synonym to excited.)

AND — it wasn’t only the women who attended who were blessed, the whole church benefitted from the renewed joy and genuine connections created through this time together.
​

It is a fine
      divine wind that
  carries a tiny
seed, just so,
        and takes it
     to the very
         place where
           friendship
              needs to
            grow.

Finally, I close this blog with the reason my mind wouldn’t settle this morning and I needed to process my feelings of sorrow and gratitude connected to the gift of friendship. I have had my dear friend Doreen on the church prayer list a few times over the past 18 months, since she was diagnosed for cancer. This morning, Doreen texted me to say she has requested no more treatments. She will now do pain mitigation until she is in pain no longer.

Doreen is the friend who invited me to come to church where, at 27 years old, I realized the ever-present love of Christ and was called to be baptized. I am forever grateful for her responding to Spirit’s whisper to invite me. Doreen is a true reflection of the vision of Love gathering her chicks under protective wings. And her wings just seem to always expand, making room to include all who Christ brings to her life.

I aspire to be such a friend.
​

​Time passes by
       and steals the
        days and years.
      Changes are
        many, and often…
            they always will
       be … but a good
         friendship lasts
               a lifetime..

In His Name, Yvette