In 1994 I entered Bible college at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. It was a small school and other than my few church friends I didn’t know many people. I think I was like most college students. I was so super excited, and breathtakingly terrified all at the same time. My friends Stacy, Susan, and I quickly connected with a few girls and soon we all became inseparable. By year’s end we were dubbed the Bobbies and as they say, the rest is history.
I could blog for hours about the insane things we did. I could fill volumes about the late night tear and laughter sessions. A library couldn’t hold the stories of the boys and the late night study sessions. However, although those memories matter, it’s not the core of our being.
That was 20 years ago that we celebrated our first Christmas. For the last several years we have been diligent to get together every year over the holidays at some point. In the last several years we have been married, divorced, had babies, changed careers and reinvented ourselves. We are rapidly approaching forty and yet when we are all together I for a moment get to be 18 all over again!
This past week we had our annual dinner and I have to say that my heart was the most filled with joy it has ever been. We had an amazing night and we laughed for hours, however the joy came from a different place. In this moment I realized that these are my people. These women are my call when the world falls apart, who I call when I want to celebrate, when I need to vent, and when I need the truth posse’. These women, the core of who God has called me to be have a 20 year history of speaking truth, joy, peace, and authenticity in my life. All of them are strong and bold. Each of them hold values that I pray my children grow and bloom into.
Reflection on this 20 year bond has led me to truly think about what makes a friendship last for years and stand the test of time. Truly for us, I see this as our ingredients for success, and the recipe for life giving joy.
First common we all share is that faith rules our hearts. We all believe in Christ as God’s son and our one true savior. We are prayer warriors for one another. Petitioning on the behalf of each other with truth, diligence, and faith.
Next,we have a heart of acceptance. Friends, I am here to tell you that our personalities stream of the high school cheer leader to the guitar playing in the park hippie. We have different views, different lifestyles, and different expectations for life. However, we care about each other and agree to disagree on the details and focus on the commonalities of the greater good.
We laugh! I mean gut busting, side splitting joy! As a group we find joy and laughter in the most mundane, in the terrifyingly serious, and in the heart break. We as a group can laugh at any situation, specifically our expertise is laughing at ourselves and carrying joy through our days together.
Finally, we have spirits of authenticity. There is no fluff in our relationship. I know these ladies speak truth in my life, and I do in theirs. I know that I can count on them to lovingly keep me from jumping off a ledge. They each have complete faith that the others know their hearts and will always be there. We don’t talk frequently yet we pick right back up when we join together again.
So, here’s to the Bobbies, these power players in the life that I call my own. May you forever know that you ladies are the silver lining in my new normal. May we never forget that God created this group and these friendships to lift us when the world gets us down!