to my friends

for lack of a better opening line, happy new year! i hope this one is full of blessings & challenges for your life.

i want to take a moment to cherish the reunions i've enjoyed with friends these past few days. in 72 hours i visited with 8 of my closest friends, and was reminded of how deeply i value you all.

rachel--i'm going to be honest & say that i never expected us to become such good friends! i was really nervous to co-lead with someone i didn't know, but how blessed we were in our relationship, which grew into so much more than life group leading. thanks for always being honest and for wrestling with me over paul, etc. i'll never forget the night that our small group baraged us with questions and doubts and you stood up for truth and righteousness and goodness in such a way that left me dumbfounded over your willingness to let God speak through you. you are thoughtful and intelligent (definitely capable of being one of the top 60 writers in the country!) and loving and i am so thankful that our paths finally happened to cross.

betsey--i hardly know what to say. you've become such a part of me that it hurts not to see you every week. i love being able to laugh with you one minute and having a serious discussion in the next. you are so genuine and real--i'm glad you showed me what it looks like to live that way. thank you for the honor of being in your wedding--it was a beautiful day for a girl with the most beautiful soul. i couldn't be happier for you and Luke, and wherever life ends up taking the two of you, i just pray that i would never be too far away! i love you!

kristen--our delicious bread maker! only one of your many, many stellar attributes. when you mentioned at lunch that you sometimes measure yourself inadequte against the likings of such IV staff workers as our beloved Alex Kirk, i couldn't help but remember how often i have admired your wisdom and frankness and boldness and wondered if i myself could ever speak so wisely in relationships of my own. you are an AMAZING minister and i am so proud of the huge step of faith you took in moving to Boston! perhaps i'll be your neighbor next year :D

anna--you were one of my very first friends at carolina, and i'm so glad we had all that time together. i hardly think i could've survived the second soprano section without you by my side. we had too many laughs to count--from the midnight throw-up extravaganza that you completely missed to drinks at Top-O on that last day of Glee club. here's to many more good times!

ashleigh--i am so thankful that we had the opportunity to live together this past summer, even though it was for such a short period of time (and somewhat drama-filled). i appreciate your deep engagement with all the issues that touch your heart--one never lacks for a serious, passionate conversation with you! thank you for sharing your experiences in seminary--your advice means more than you know and i am so glad to have someone in such a similar boat to the one in which i currently find myself sailing. keep me updated on your journey!

holly--i am so proud of you for tackling the huge task of elementary school teaching! i know it's been stressful for you, but you are making such a huge impact and learning so much. i know we are only a couple of hours apart, but i miss not having you nearby because you are such a dear friend and your company always makes my day better. our summer before senior year in charlotte--i think i would've been miserable without you! thanks for all the memories of zumba, and church in a bar, and shooting squirrels, and word-in-motown, and....all the way back to playing soccer & hanging out at camp occaneechee.

mallory--dear, beautiful mallory! you are such a ray of sunshine! i miss living with you, and your vaccuuming at all hours of the day & night, your laughter we could never misidentify, and your constant kindness and joy. i hope that your last semester at carolina is all that you could hope for. thanks for the beautiful earrings from Africa that will expand my international jewelry collection :D i hope to see you often now that you're stateside!

kristen--dearest friend and roomie, i've missed you! though i admire you so greatly for embracing the role of humble servant in Chicago, i don't like being so far away! so i'll just have to come & visit you this spring, then move up there over the summer :D i'll be thinking about you as the days get colder, as you work on a certain relationship, and as you continue your amazing ministry! you are awesome and i'm so glad to be your friend!

when i stop and think that i knew none of you (except holly--girl scouters!) before i stepped foot on carolina's campus, it blows me away. we hail from all different corners of the state (which has now become glaringly obvious) and yet we came together, and in the course of four short years began to share each others lives. i can only pray we will continue to do so--i know we will!

how many more of you i wish were on this list! you are close to my heart even though distance separates us. please know that i think of you often.