And Another Thing...Friends. Part 2.

I came outside to read on my back porch in my jeans, short-sleeved tshirt, and barefeet, but I think, instead, it's time for my first blog of 2012.

You might remember my original "And Another Thing...Friends" post about my friend Sam. If not, read here and it'll give you some perspective on what I mean by "And Another Thing...Friends".

Well, the end of 2011 and beginning of 2012 has been a rough/sad chunk of time as you can tell in the previous posts. 2012 hasn't had anything super hard or anything, but mostly sad. I've been really missing Oregon and the nearness of certain dear relationships - both in time zone and physical nearness. People who I love dearly and love living life with.

I love to laugh a lot. I love to laugh often. There aren't too many people who can get me truly, deep-belly laughin'. Like truly. And honestly I can't remember when the last time was that I truly laughed so hard that my stomach hurt...until today.

There really isn't anybody who can get me truly, deep-belly laughin' like Kory and Sara can. When I'm with them, I laugh and laugh often. I could be legitimately crying then one of them way say something and I can't help but laugh. As I was talking with my dear brother today I had tears rollin' down my face and my stomach was hurting so bad because I was laughing like crazy! It felt so good! It has been so long since I have laughed that hard. It was just what I needed. It has brought me out of this funk that I've been in. We could be laughing for what seems like forever at what seems like so little. I love it.

Kory and Sara - a couple of more "And another thing...friends" - some of the most important. Friend/family that have laughed and cried with me.

And one more of these dear friends is my sweet friend Lindsay. I talked to my dear friend Lindsay on the phone yesterday for about 10 minutes and it was so wonderful although short with her promising to call me next week when company leaves. Lindsay has been a dear, sweet, friend in my life.

Although my family and her in-laws have been friends for decades, Lindsay and I didn't meet until the summer of 2007 when her husband, Nate, was on Assignment doing Program at SharpTop while I was on Property Staff there. While I had seen Nate a couple times since that month, the Lord didn't have Lindsay's and my paths cross again until we both moved to Oregon. Nate and Lindsay (who were pregnant with their second child) moved to the Canyon about six/seven weeks after I did. Oh it was glorious. You see, I had no clue that Nate and Lindsay were moving to the Ranch until they showed up to State of the Property that night. I was so excited to see them there and have them apart of the Canyon Family.

Lindsay has been a great friend who has asked good, real, deep questions and walked with me during some really hard and confusing times. Love her and her sweet family.

These dear people are some of the biggest reasons why it was so hard to leave the Canyon and the reasons why I miss it the most. Can't wait to come home and visit with them in person. Love you guys.

and another thing...friends

I've heard my dad say several times in my life the term "and another thing...friends". This meaning that you have those friends that you may not be in your everyday life, but when you talk, it's like nothing has changed nor has it felt like any time has passed. It's like conversation is more like "oh hey, and another thing is..." No matter what happens or where y'all are at, you pick up your life/conversation like nothing has changed...like conversation and your friendship just keeps going. It picks up where you left off, like no time has passed.

Meet Sam Winks. Sam is one of those "and another thing" friends. This picture was taken in August of '07 at our friends, the Signorinis' house. Sam and I have been friends for...well I can't remember exactly how long, but it's got to be somewhere in the 7 - 10 year range. I believe we met and became friends at Rockbridge at some point, but honestly I can't remember. When I moved to Jasper, Georgia to Young Life's SharpTop Cove almost 5 years ago (August '06), Sam was going to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). At this point we had been friends for years, but never lived in the same city (Sam's from Richmond). Sam often came to STC on the weekends to help Wrangle. I remember the very first weekend that Sam came to STC when I was there. It was like a piece of Virginia while living in Georgia. I was so excited to see him and to hang out with him whenever I could.

Well our friendship went from a friend you enjoyed hanging out with whenever you happened to see each other to having a friend you enjoyed living life together that following summer - summer '07 when Sam was the summer bike intern at STC. That summer, especially the end of the summer, was filled with great memories of adventures to find tshirts, sitting on the roof of The Mill, or just simply hanging out.

Sam and I have seen each other maybe two or three times since that summer - once when I lived in DC and an other time being this past July when I was in Richmond. The thing with Sam is that we may not hang out a ton or even talk but every couple months, but when we get on the phone with each other, our conversations are never less than an hour. And no matter where I'm at in life or how confused I am on a certain situation or life in general, Sam is often quick to listen, slow to speak, and great at giving advice.

I talked to Sam on Wednesday night for about an hour and it felt like we were on the phone for about 3 minutes. It's really a neat blessing to see where the Lord has brought Sam on this journey called life. It's an even bigger blessing to have a friend who knows you well and can be a person of encouragement in life - to be a person to call and say "and another thing is..."

I think we all need those friends.....friends like Sam.