I’ve been reading the most fantastic book—“Friendships Don’t Just Happen.” I’m at the part right now that emphasizes that friendships are a process of time. And that the more frequently you meet together with your friends, the faster those friendships will progress and deepen.
Right up till that point I was energized and jazzed by the book. But that part made me feel tired.
You see, I feel exhausted and overwhelmed by my life as it is on a regular basis. The thought of needing to add anything else into my life regularly makes me need a nap. Right now.
And so I did the only thing I could think of. I said a prayer, asking Heavenly Father to guide me to the interactions that would most benefit both me & others. He knows what I need. He knows that I need to have friends—good friends, real friends, in order to be happy in my life. I don’t know yet who those meaningful friends will be, but He does. And hopefully I will have enough energy for His plan.
This morning as I started making a batch of bread I told the kids that I would make scones for lunch. It occurred to me that since it was Veteran's Day, one of the women I visiting teach (someone that I hope will become a good friend) probably had the day off. I called and left a message inviting her to come over for a lunch of scones, and she quickly returned my call offering to bring homemade tomato soup as well.
Our meal was lovely, with lots of laughter over stories of most embarrassing moments, (we both have some great ones!) and assurances to our daughters that one day they, too, will have similarly embarrassing moments in their lives. The scones were good, the honey butter was divine, and the homemade tomato soup was amazing.
And when they left and I cleaned off the table the thought came to me that I had asked, and Heavenly Father had arranged. What I had thought was my own clever idea was surely the spirit’s prompting, answering my prayer with a suggestion of a possible activity with a friend.
It makes me hopeful for the future…
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I really feel like Heavenly Father uses Visiting Teaching to tell us, "You and she need to be friends." And often it's someone toward whom we might not naturally have gravitated, but after we get to know her we find out how much we have in common deep down -- or how much we can learn from each other. I found that perspective to be very comforting when faced with moving into our (two) new ward(s). :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lovely afternoon! Those scones look yummy, and that honey butter and homemade soup sound fantastic! :)
Oh! I keep meaning to check and see of my library carries that one. Making and keeping friends is so stressful and so rewarding for me at the same time. What a great reminder for me to keep it as a matter of prayer.
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