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Friday Friend Day!
Grown Up Girlfriends!
Some correspondence came to me with a question wondering about my title for this Fab Friday theme. A question was posed, one asking if I made up the title for this day’s theme. Sure shooting gal, this was my own original idea used many years ago when our older children were plunked into a new private school, a school we’d moved to a new location for them to attend. They were lost not knowing a soul, a lonesome beginning to a new adventure for certain, however mom tried to save the day with “Friday Friend Days” (original post found here). Since many of the families traveled to attend the same school, our three older children were encouraged to invite one friend home each week for the purpose of getting to know them better in a more homey setting. The deal was, they would walk home with their friends, all six of them together, and all would dine together for the better part of the late afternoon and early even
ing until I drove them home afterwards.
These were successful times, not only for the children, but also for the mommy (me) as I was able to meet other parents and their families as well. They were memorable times then, but when our family chose to embrace homeschooling due to many circumstances, friend day could, and did, happen any day, not just on Friday any longer. The children ended up having plenty of other visiting abilities along the way as they grew, much to their benefit, and mine.
As an adult, ‘Friday Friend Day’ has resurfaced the grand idea for saluting grown up girlfriends. Last week I gave a tribute to my friend Denise, and promised to salute many more over the course of upcoming Fridays. It may be not every Friday will have a “Friday Friend Day” posted, but there will be postings in a slightly modified way now that I have had the ability to absorb the entire concept. I have elected to occasionally also post “Friday Friend Days” where I will honor “Five Fab Friends”, rather than just one at a time. This will allow for a real star-studded cast of players, rather grown up girlfriends who have filled my life with joy and happiness. I salute you all, no matter what the order of the postings, you are all so very special to me! I thank you for your friendships!
Today I want to tell you about another “Sister Chick” named Justine because she has filled my life with so much awe and wonder, she truly needs to be mentioned this day.
I met Justine nine years ago, and like my beginnings with Denise, we all met together at the same place. As we shared our children’s curriculum endeavors and ideas together online, it was almost bizarre and yet so incredibly intriguing to find out Justine lived in the same city as me. How about that I thought? Shall I mention to her we live in the same area….or not? Hmmm….
More time passed by before I dared utter words to the effect of “ya wanna get together sometime and really talk?”, and when I finally developed enough courage to do so, I was absolutely over the moon to find she was eager to meet me as well. At last one afternoon,.
There is something very special about clicking with someone and finally meeting with them face to face, a person who shares the same passions in life, and who has the same priorities with her family at the helm of them. Since we’d already been chatting it up together for a while by now, we felt as though we knew one another for years, so when the opportunity presented itself to book a day to get together, I have to admit, I felt a bit strange with the whole adventure. I took a big gulp, felt unbelievably excited, and headed over. I drove towards her home, directions in hand, only a mere eight minutes away (if that), my three children tagging along for the “meet and greet meeting”, together with Justine and her three children When I arrived, there she was (we’d already shared photos because I hosted a family photo swap with the rest of the gals on the support group website), and we both did what came naturally, offering one another a big bear hug.
One huge note of interest coming to light during our initial visit was so marvelously shocking; we ended up just giggling over the realization we’d met before, though we just didn’t know it at the time. Our sons (her oldest, my sixth) were born at the same hospital, on the same day, almost around the same time. In addition, even more interesting, I actually remembered her and could envision her in my mind, the woman who walked down the hall snickering at the nurse on duty while shaking her head and telling her she would never forget the labor, even if most women said they did afterwards. Never was SHE going to forget it…and then I heard the most jovial laughter erupt afterwards. I remembered her! Now isn’t that just the most serendipitous type of thing to you! These sons are now almost seventeen years old. How time flies!
Over the years, our friendship grew and grew, and this grown up girlfriend of mine is now the mother of six boys! Yep, six! I watched her take a literal and monumental leap of faith with every pregnancy, and I now only view her as a mother with an extraordinary family, all loving life together. The sad part for me was when her family moved almost five hours away, yet Justine always took the time to connect with me, if possible, while traveling in our area when visiting other relatives.
The lovely family
There is one thing I can attest to for sure, Justine has the most creative energy level of anyone I’ve ever met, and gets enthralled with ideas so much so, she embraces the opportunity to learn all she can after its presentation. She does nothing lightly, no way! Such a goal setter is she, a go-getter, a do-er, her abundant enthusiasm is positively infectious, so contagious to the point of reeling in other friends whenever she can, creating support groups for discussion, planning, and completing whatever it is she has as her latest and greatest project. She wins the award for best cheerleader of grown up girlfriends, at least this grown up woman! I can call on her anytime of day, by email, phone, or when having stolen moments visiting together, and she is right there, engulfed and immersed with thoughts on assisting with input. Justine, you fill my life with sunshine, and your smile is something else. How could anyone NOT love you friend! (grin)
Not one to merely become a spectator, Justine rolls up her sleeves and dives in, whether it be something with a schooling curriculum, a book she is reading she can hardly wait to share, or climbing to the highest peak of a roof top swinging a hammer while assisting in the production towards a new family home construction with her builder husband! True story…
It has been no surprise to me, and others who know her, to hear of the current gigantic faith ride her family is cruising on. She leaves me awe-inspired and filled with curiosity at each step of the way along the journey they are living. She and her husband have made application to adopt daughters from
I would like to share her blog with you all, if for any reason that you may hold her family up in prayer as they await great things to come. When her six boys hold a garage sale to raise funds selling many of their treasured possessions to place in the kitty towards the adoption and legal processes, people notice. In fact, a news broadcast television crew noticed, contacting them for an interview them at home, also inspiring them and the government in
To Dream the Impossible Dream – this is their slogan, their dream. Please visit her blog if you have the opportunity to do so, if you only peruse the right side bar. I guarantee you will be left in total awe at this couple’s most humble endeavor. Her deep abiding and precious trust exuded each day in private emails, and on her blog offers such a sincere and encouraging uplift to all those she knows. Truly her family is being carried, wrapped up in a heavenly mantle on this journey of all time, this huge dream that is becoming “POSSIBLE”.
Justine, hugs to you! You have blessed me as a grown-up girlfriend, even when there are those times I tease you for a hook-up directly with you intravenously to tap into your energy levels, if only for the day! (wink)
