Titus 2 Tuesday: Dotty

I've already told you about her here.
And I'm not completely sure why she's on my mind so much today.
Perhaps because I'll see her next weekend.
Perhaps because I'm always reminded of her around the holidays.

Dotty has taught me courage
faith
trust
and reminds me that God was wrapping His arms around me, even during some very dark days.

And perhaps more than that, that He still is.

Not very wordy tonight...
but that's all that needs to be said.

Titus 2 Tuesday: Marsha

I read a very disturbing blog this morning by a former classmate of mine. He was literally preaching on the evils of Halloween and how we as Christians are letting demonic activity into our lives if we participate. It was well-written, and he stated that he had researched every point, which I'm sure was true. And I understand and respect the viewpoint. However, I came away pretty disturbed.

The thing is, it was disturbing to me on more than one level.

On one level, I'm disturbed any time a fellow Christian presumes to be more holy than another. Last I checked we are all sinners in need of a Savior. And last I checked, none of us has a corner on all the answers.

On another level, it's disturbing to me because it's how I was raised.

I know Halloween is a touchy subject among my fellow Christians, so I'm not going to go any further into it. Suffice it to say, I've been on both sides of the beliefs on celebrating Halloween, and while I understand the reasoning behind denouncing the holiday, I prefer a more balanced viewpoint myself--understanding the history and celebrating the present.

All of that to say, it really got me thinking.

My parents were certainly not balanced in their beliefs on manners such as this. The churches I grew up in for my young years were not either, and while the church I attended and fell in love with as a teenager was...it was still my parents "standards" that governed my life.

So where DID my balanced viewpoints come into play? When did I learn to think outside the box and believe more and differently than I had been raised to believe?

I can't pinpoint a specific time and place that this began to change, but I can pinpoint an individual who was instrumental in helping me realize that not fitting into the typical mold of Christianity was not necessarily a bad thing.

Her name was Marsha, and she was my professor for quite a few of my education courses. She was tough and didn't take crap from anyone, but she loved us and wanted to see us succeed in the classrooms we were called to.

I found out pretty early on that Marsha and I were two of the few liberals on Trevecca's campus. It definitely bonded us, as we had to stick together! :-)

Marsha was the one who approached me my sophomore year and told me that her neighbors were looking for a babysitter they could trust. I immediately said that she should give them my number and she stopped me by saying "there's something you should know first..."

That's how I began babysitting for the two little girls with two mommies...that's how I fell in love with a family I never would have been allowed to socialize with growing up...that's how I began babysitting for several same-sex couples because it was next to impossible for them to find loving and capable people to care for their children in this area of the country.

One day one of the mommies told me
"I'd love to meet your parents."
Confused, I asked her why. Her response startled me.
"I would love to meet the people who raised a daughter to be both a Christian and accepting of others. You make no secret of your beliefs and viewpoints, yet we have never felt judged or not tolerated by you. You love us and you love our babies."

I didn't have the heart to tell her that my parents would probably not be who she should meet. It was the influence of people like herself and of Marsha who helped me realize that life is not always black and white...that snap judgments should never be made...and that everyone is loved by God, therefore I am called to love them.

Marsha and others have helped me in my classroom full of different faiths, my city full of refugee families from around the world, and my daily life where I meet other people just like myself--broken and unworthy, yet called to be His children.

Marsha moved to another state to consult for their education system when I was a junior. She and I have kept in touch periodically and she's always excited to hear what new things are going on in my life.

I'm so very thankful for her influence and the influence of countless others who helped me to just get out of my box!

Titus 2 Tuesday: Jessica

Hop on over to Bethany's blog to join in!

Jes and I have been singing together on the same praise team for a couple of years now, and she and her husband are good friends. We were even in the same small group for awhile. Jes and I clicked pretty easily, both loving children (she's a high school math teacher) and singing...music in general.

Jes is one of those people who radiates positivity. She has a beautiful smile and is genuinely just a *good* person. You know the type, I'm sure. Rare to find, but once you do you'll hang on to that relationship for life!

She also has a great way of telling a story--particularly when her students are involved. Swapping teaching stories with her has been one of my favorite things over the years--because she can make any situation funny!

Jes and her husband Michael just had their first baby (Finnegan--Finn) a couple of months ago. It's been so fun to watch them transition from pregnancy to parenthood. They are both so laid back and relaxed...and they are just fantastic parents.

Jes reminds me that I can take it easy...that I can look for good in every situation...that I can be funny and sarcastic and still be kind.

I have great friends...and I'm honored that Jes is among them.

Titus 2 Tuesday

(If all is well, the button should link, but just in case...here's Bethany's blog)

I met Laura a little less than a year ago, and we laughed about how similar both our names are--obviously our first names are similar, but her last name is VERY close to mine as well. I found out the night I met her (in December) that she had recently found out she was pregnant, and though it had been a shock she was embracing the idea of single parenthood and moving forward in the life she felt God was calling her to.

Laura will be the first to tell you that she thinks sex before marriage is not what God desires. In fact, she told me not too long ago that she needs friends to keep her accountable to this...and that she feels that getting pregnant was her "slap on the wrist" from God followed by a beautiful and wonderful blessing.

I love her attitude. I love how she loves her daughter, how she loves her friends, how she loves life. I've learned so much about faith from her...just this morning we were talking about financial stuff and how she's "surviving"...(she recently lost her job as well)...

Her statement through it all has been

"God isn't going to give me a gift that I can't take care of."


And since Israel (Izzy) is her gift...
They're taken care of.

I'm so thankful to have amazing friends like her in my life. Blessed to call her friend...blessed to have family...

(preggo)

(with our friend Meghan, very soon after we met)

(with her beautiful blessing)

Titus 2 Tuesdays

A new host is in town for Titus 2 Tuesdays...my good bloggy friend Bethany has taken over while Shanda takes a bit of a break. So make sure to go to her blog and link up for today!

(Isn't it funny how that works, by the way? I have a few friends through these blog relationships who I feel like I would hang out with on a regular basis if we lived close enough!)

Anywho.

Today I'm going to introduce you to Emalie. Emalie and I met years ago when I was teaching. She was a good friend of my friend Martell.

Emalie came back to the classroom a couple of years later, and in God's perfect placement landed at the middle school where I was teaching. She inspired me to be more patient, more kind, and more loving in my approach to my students...not that I wasn't those things before. Emalie has a way of looking at people and situations in the best light possible. She complimented me on how patient, kind, loving and wonderful I was in the classroom...and it made me want to be MORE of those things. (if that makes sense)

She was the classroom I'd stop into on my way out of the building that last year when things were rough, if I needed to vent/cry/laugh. She always had a funny story to tell, or a listening ear.

Emalie is one of my biggest fans, which means a lot. She asked me to teach her 3 granddaughters piano lessons about 3 years ago, and that relationship has continued to this day. I get to see Emalie at least once a week these days, and though she's moved on to a different position in a different school and I am...well, doing whatever I'm doing...we still find time to connect. Often she'll meet me at the door when I come to teach with a bowl of soup or a hot cup of tea. She's had me come to her church to teach the youth group there how to make jewelry for a fundraising project. And she's still that listening ear or funny story I need.

I'll never forget the email from her telling the story of driving a couple of students home when a fire broke out in the backseat of her van (?!?!?) and they ended up stamping it out with the box of underwear she had collected for some ministry...

That's Emalie :-)

Titus 2 revisited

What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever)



Time to start explaining a bit about my latest post.
But first, let me introduce you to LaJuana.

LaJuana was one of the first people I met when I began attending Woodmont Hills, and for some reason we immediately clicked. She was the wife of our worship minister, and helped teach a women's class that I attended for awhile before I began volunteering in our youth group.

I didn't tell LaJuana I had an eating disorder...she figured it out and just asked me point-blank one day. Besides being shocked (I was REALLY good at hiding it), I was also relieved.

LaJuana was instrumental in my recovery, meeting with me to specifically talk about what was going on, literally pulling a support team around me (which I've written a little more about here), and assuring me that I am loved no matter what. Don't get me wrong--it was a HARD time, and I'm pretty positive I wasn't easy to be around during those years...but somehow she loved me through it.

And through all that we managed to live life as friends. And since recovery we've gotten even closer. Pedicures, lunches/dinners out, celebrating birthdays (her and I are 2 days apart and her husband is a week before mine), walks at Radnor, decorating her house and mine for Christmas, the tradition of Baja Burrito before church every Wednesday...

And when all our small group stuff went down (an affair between 2 members of the group as well as a LOT of other sexual addiction stuff that was discovered)...she understood why I, as the single person in the group, was affected so deeply. She was able to name it: "your dream of the future has been affected."

I swore off relationships.

And about a year and a half ago, she asked me to come over for lunch. While I was there she showed me a beautiful antique punch bowl and cups set that she had found on a New England vacation. When I told her they were perfect she said "good. because we'll be using them at your bridal luncheon."

I hadn't even realized that things in me were shifting and I was longing for romance, for relationship. It's funny...she often knows what I'm feeling before I can name it.

I found out two weeks ago that they are moving.
Atlanta isn't far away in the grand scheme of things...
It will be nice to have another person to visit there
But not having her physical presence in my daily life is overwhelming.

She won't be hosting a bridal luncheon
She won't be around to make an impromptu trip to the nail place
No more Saturday lunches
No more movie dates
No more Baja

I'm happy for their new opportunities.
But I am deeply mourning this.

Titus 2 Tuesday

What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever)



I am having the hardest time with these posts lately.
It's not that I don't have enough wonderful women to choose from.
It's that I have too many.

You see, my mother and I have never been close. She had an oddly (and unhealthy) closeness to her own mother, and it honestly wasn't until my grandma died my senior year of college that she attempted to forge a relationship with me. By then...it was really too late.

It's not that I don't love my mom. I do. Truly. And we've gotten closer as time has gone by, but in all the meantime God has provided many "mothers" to fill the void I had.

I'm not sure when I began realizing this. I've already written about two of those "mothers" when writing these T2T posts. Now it's time to introduce you to yet another.

I was so intimidated the first time I met ML. Her husband was a professor at the university I attended, we played in the orchestra together at church, and he and I had become fairly close over the course of the 2 months or so I had been in town. When I met his wife (who goes by ML instead of Marylou) for the first time (after church one Sunday morning) I thought there was no way I would EVER click with this beautiful, classy woman who had it all together.

I remained intimidated until Christmas break freshman year. Our music minister at church had especially asked if I could stay for the Christmas extravaganza. Unfortunately, it was scheduled for the Sunday...after the dorms closed on Friday. I begged housing to let me stay the extra 2 days, but apparently they put a huge vacuum seal over the entire university during the Christmas holidays and there was no way I was breaking that barrier. So Don said "Well, just stay at our house!"

Gulp.

He "led" me to their house that Friday afternoon in the midst of rush hour (which I was still not used to--rush hour at "home" meant a tractor was on the highway...or the high school had just let out). Once we got there, he showed me to my room for the weekend and then headed off to do something...I think it was going back to campus to enter grades or something. I was left alone in the house with a beautiful English spaniel dog (who was my instant buddy and remained so until she died--I was the only person who could take care of her when her parents went out of town). Within an hour or so, I heard the garage door open. I smoothed my hair and tried to look as natural as possible because I knew SHE was home.

She walked in, greeted the dog, and then looked at me and said 7 wonderful words:

"Why don't we go to the mall?"

And a beautiful friendship was born.

ML and I bonded quickly over that weekend, and I was at their house many, many times after. I house-sat for them, dog-sat for them (and Don would bring the dog to see me any time he had her on campus...or call me to go get her out of his office if he had back to back classes). ML became someone that I did total girl things with, like shopping, getting manicures and visiting the makeup counters. ML was the one who introduced me to the beautiful hiking areas of Nashville and for that I will be eternally grateful. Most Sunday afternoons involved a lunch at their house and a hike around Edwin Warner park which was literally 5 minutes from their house at the time. Sometimes they would also invite the girls I lived with, but often it was just me and ML.

I found out a lot about her (them) on those hikes. She grew up in Indiana too, had a very similar upbringing to mine, we had a lot of the same battle wounds. She and Don had never had children of their own...by choice. And so that faux mother/daughter role was easy for both of us to adopt. We were asked by strangers constantly if we were mother and daughter and we always laughed about it...because we look nothing alike!

They left the church we all attended my sophomore year, and those Sunday afternoons became less frequent, but still we gathered together often. And I visited them at their new church (Christ Church) a LOT. I still visit there--it's a pretty well-known church to anyone in this area, and Don actually plays in the band there.

About a year after I graduated they moved closer to the area I live in (and go to church in). You would think this means I see them often, but that's unfortunately not the case. ML has a pretty demanding job and has had to be out of town a lot lately. And of course in my current job-limbo, it's not as easy for me to be up for a shopping trip even if she is in town.

I have no doubt however of these things:
ML loves God
and she loves me.

And that's enough.

(at my senior recital, 2003)

Titus 2 Tuesday

What have you learned from another Christ following woman?

Time once again for me to try to pick just ONE influential woman in my life.

I'm reaching way back today, to Carmen.

Carmen was our neighbor from the time I entered 5th grade until I moved from my parents home to a college dorm. She was the pianist at the church we started attending when I was in 7th grade. She and her husband were good friends of my parents, and I bonded with her around the time I was 13 on. I would often ride my bike to her house and stay for *hours*. Sometimes there was a legitimate reason--I sang solos often and would rehearse at her house. Other times it was just to be around her. She was such a loving and caring presence in my life. I remember kneeling together in her living room and praying when I decided to accept Christ into my life. I remember confessing to her that I thought I really did have an eating disorder (that was round one, in high school). Her couch was my altar on many occasions, and her arms were the ones I ran to when I was upset or confused.

She was the one who encouraged me to enter Trevecca even though my parents were not sold on the plan. And about halfway through my college career, she and her husband moved to Clarksville, which is about 45 minutes north of Nashville. I was thrilled to have a piece of home in Tennessee. By that time I had already decided that Nashville would be my home after graduation, and there was something comforting about the idea of being able to drive up there whenever I wanted.

Unfortunately over the last few years we haven't been in as close of contact as we would like...thank goodness for email and facebook (she recently joined). Anthony and I did go to her and Bill's 50th wedding anniversary celebration a few months ago.

I don't think I have any pictures of the two of us together that are actually on the computer, so no pictures today. I may be able to scan one in later :0)

Titus 2 Tuesday

What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever)



I'm a little overwhelmed right now. I need to write about a woman who has influenced me...and there are SO many that it's hard to decide who to introduce you to next.

So I'm going to write about Martell.

Martell was one of the first people I met when I began teaching and we immediately formed a bond. You see, I (with a degree in music education) was given 2 reading courses to teach--one 7th grade and one 8th grade. Since I had NO idea what I was doing and she just happened to be right across the hall and teach 8th grade language arts...and since we both stayed after school crazy weird hours because we share a workaholic tendency...we became fast friends.

I knew part of Martell's story before I really knew Martell. She had a daughter who was just a few months older than I am. But when we were 21--3 years before Martell and I met--she died in a freak hiking accident. I learned a lot about Jennifer and her story from her amazing mother.

Part of our bond was a natural course of events--I desperately needed a mother figure, she was able to be needed as a mother (does that make sense?). During the spring of that first year of teaching I put a contract on the condo, and in doing that told her that I was going to need a new church home as my current church would be way too much of a drive once I moved back into Nashville. She invited me to come to her church...and from the first time I walked through the doors I knew that God had brought me there. Sometime during that first year of teaching in our regular nightly chats I shared some of *my* story...the good, bad and ugly. And it was because of her and 3 other amazing women at my church (and many other scattered throughout that journey as well) that I finally made the choice to become healthy. I'll write about those other 3 at some point. But Martell was instrumental in my recovery. After all, she and I shared a lunch table every day. She overheard me give speeches to the cheerleaders that I coached saying "You have to eat enough calories to make it through the games!" And she held me when I cried my eyes out because I felt so hypocritical in those moments. And through it all, she just let me...be. It was largely because of her gentle and non-judgemental approach that I was able to finally just let go.

My principal and one of Martell's best friends both pulled me aside within a year of our friendship beginning and thanked me "for giving us Martell's smile again". Little did they know that she had given me a new lease on life as well.

One of the most flattering things Martell has ever said to me was that she thinks that Jennifer and I would have been great friends if we had ever met. That we both have the same passion for seeing young girls reach their full potential.

From her...there is no greater compliment.

I could fill pages about her. She's an adventurous soul and I've learned not to open my big mouth around her unless I truly mean it--hence the whitewater rafting trip the two of us went on and I can't SWIM. I was convinced I would drown. But I loved it--and have been back at least 5 times since that first trip down the Ocoee!

This picture is from that trip. It isn't a great shot of either of us--we had spent hours on the river, were still soaked and quite tired. We stopped and took the picture because "Greasy Creek" is such a typical thing to see in Tennessee and we were both amused. But I love the picture. It's framed in my living room, and it reminds me to try new things and not be afraid of the unknown.

Titus 2 Tuesday

I love these Tuesday posts more and more :0) Join us by clicking on the question!
What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever)

Today I'll tell you about Sharon. Sharon is very possibly the sweetest person I have ever had the pleasure of calling my friend. We met when we sang together and eventually we were in the same small group together for a couple of years. That small group disbanded 2 years ago when we found out that her husband and another woman in our group had been having an affair. It was a HARD time for all of us in that group and obviously the families involved were devastated. Sharon and her husband had 3 small children when it was brought to the surface. They eventually left our church, which was the right move for them, but I miss them SO much even though I try to get together with them often.

It's amazing to watch Sharon and her husband write a new love story together. In the last 2 years they have had a fourth child and have recently announced that they are pregnant with their 5th (we think that the oldest child, a boy, is praying overtime for a baby brother--he currently has 3 little sisters!) For her parenting skills and her obvious love for her husband and commitment to their recovery together I admire her. For her genuine friendship, I love her. She amazingly finds time in her schedule to check in with me and continues to amaze me with her deep faith.

Titus 2 Tuesday

What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever)

Today I'd like to talk about Erin.

Erin and I met when I was visiting the Catholic church that I now regularly visit. A friend of mine who played in the handbell choir invited me to go out to eat/drink with them right after mass the second time I visited, and Erin was among the people at the restaurant. I was honored to meet her--she was the cantor with the choir and I was blown away by her amazingly beautiful voice and spirit during service. I was even more impressed with her personality and charm in person.

We had been chatting for a few minutes when we realized that we both lived in the same sub-section of Nashville...then in the same neighborhood...then realized that our townhomes are a building away from each other. Small world! In further conversation I found out that her husband is one of the worship ministers at the church...and this lead to some pretty serious involvement in their music and worship ministry on my part. I made sure they knew that I'm not Catholic by birth or conversion, and they were fine with it. So yes...I sing in the early mass choir on the way down the road to Woodmont most every week!

Erin has become a wonderful friend. She has taught me so much about perseverance. Shortly after I met her I found out that her mother had terminal cancer. In February of last year she passed away. Then Erin had surgery on her thyroid--which took her out of singing for about 6 months--and they found out that she too had cancer. Her brother died of cancer this past November. I have remained heartbroken for her family through all of this, and yet she remains so full of faith and optimism that she ends up encouraging me every time I speak to her.

When I lost my job, she became one of the people who created something for me to do--babysitting her dog, and reorganizing her entire filing system. I was so appreciative of this gesture from someone who I had known for just a little over a year.

Erin is a woman of strong faith who inspires me to rise above any circumstances that come my way. She is an amazing woman and I am SO proud to call her my friend.

Titus 2 Tuesday

Happy Tuesday all!

What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever)

This week I'll introduce you to Suzanne. Suzanne and I bonded shortly after I began attending the church I'm a member of--not only were we both middle school music teachers, but we were also both a little crazy. Ok, ok, the two go hand in hand!

Suzanne and I eventually were in the same small group (she was the one who invited me) and singing on the same Praise Team. The first Christmas I knew her she gave me a Magic 8 Ball with the explanation that while teaching middle schoolers the answers may as well come from there as anywhere :0) We laughed and were crazy together, but I knew (know) that if I ever need anything all I have to do is pick up the phone or log onto my email. Suz' would do anything she could for me, and it goes both ways.

Suzanne's husband, Richard, was the worship leader for our praise team's week and about 8 months ago he was offered a job as a music minister for a church just down the road. So, while we no longer attend church together we still see each other...although not nearly as often as either of us would like.

Last weekend Richard called me to ask if I would help them sing at a funeral. I went, and we enjoyed spending some time together (well, as much as one can enjoy a funeral...). Suz' at one point looked at me and said "Love looks good on you!"

I got the sweetest card from Suz' a few days later. Just a small excerpt from what she wrote:

"You really do look fabulous. I pray things are looking up for you. You seem to be happy. I forget how much I miss you until I get to be with you. Then I have this ray of sunlight of you, and I'm "in the dark" when you've gone. You are so special, and I want you to know that!"

It was the SWEETEST card ever...and it pretty much sums up how I feel about her. She is a breath of fresh air, every time I get to be with her.

I have several photos of the two of us, but this is one of my favorites. It's from 3.5 years ago when we combined her (private, upper-class white) choir and my (public, very diverse) choir for pizza and a movie while we were at a Mass Choral Festival. We were "doing what we do" and enjoying learning from each other.

Once again, if you haven't asked me a question for my 100th post, please leave a comment at this post or email me at msmsctchr@gmail.com. As of this post, we're 4 away! Oh...and there may be a little giveaway to celebrate this as well!

Titus 2 Tuesday

What have you learned from another woman this week? (or ever)

Aren't old friends the best?

I spent the weekend with one of the first people I met when I went to Trevecca. Gwen was my suitemate, which meant for most people freshman year that you shared a bathroom. Our suite was different though--we all came in brand new to TN, a bit unsure of what the future held...and we became immediate best friends--Lindsay, Beth, Gwen and I. It was very rare those first 2 years that if you found one of us the other 3 weren't somewhere within very close proximity. Sadly, after sophomore year neither my roommate Lindsay nor Gwen were able to come back to TNU. Gwen did come to our graduation and she was also a part of Beth's wedding a couple of years ago. So while I had been able to see her a couple of times since 2001, we had never spent more than a few hours together at best.

However, about 2 weeks ago I got a text message from her asking if she could crash at my place if she decided to come to Nashville for the week of the 23rd. Of course I said yes! She has a brother that lives down here as well, so she stayed with him for the first part of the week and then came here on Thursday.

Gwen is one of those people who is genuinely GOOD. She's Godly, she's friendly to all, and she's one of the absolute sweetest people I have ever met. We didn't really do anything that exciting together...just spent time together. But since that is one of my primary love languages, that's exactly what I needed with this dear friend. I think we agree that the best part of the weekend was Saturday night when we sat for hours and made jewelry together. She had expressed an interest in seeing how I did it, and I taught her how to make a necklace as well as matching earrings. She did a fabulous job--I wish I had taken pictures of her final results--and we just laughed and had such a good time while we worked.

I guess this really showed me that it's not about WHAT you do when you're together that makes it quality time. It's that you're truly present in the moment and truly there for one another.

I never got a great picture of the two of us together this weekend, but this one is better than none :) One of those dorky self-taken ones!

Titus 2 Tuesday

Everyone seems to be getting into it early this week, so I'll follow the trend :0) See the original Titus 2 blog to participate!

What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever)

Today I'm going to share my friend Kathryne with you.

Kathryne is one of the first people I became close to at my church. I remember a few of us sitting around talking about 2 years ago and her stating "I don't remember ever meeting Lora. I think she's just always been a part of us." And honestly--I have no recollection of meeting her either. But I know we have a strong connection, and always have.

Kathryne is a mother--her son is in college, her daughter a junior in high school. I was actually privileged enough to have her daughter in my mentoring group when she was in middle school, which was pretty cool. Kathryne is the kind of mother I want to be--nurturing, but not smothering. Her children are well loved, but they have been brought up to make decisions--and even mistakes--in a safe environment. I have remarked to several people (including the boyfriend) that when I have children I will be sitting at her feet to learn. And anyone who knows her understands why I say that :0)

Kathryne is an amazing prayer warrior, and a beautiful example to anyone who is seeking in faith. She doesn't have all the answers, and she doesn't mind telling you she doesn't. But she's the first person who will sit with you, cry with you, pray with you and just BE with you...no matter what. She's lived enough life experiences to be empathetic and kind through it all.

This is why when I asked her to drive me home after having my wisdom teeth removed a couple of years ago she refused. She insisted that I instead come stay at their house for at least 24 hours after the surgery. It's what I needed.

This is also why she was one of the first people I called when I lost my job in August.

I don't have any "good" pictures of the two of us, but here are a couple. The first is of the two of us the year we shared a cabin full of 7th grade girls for a week at youth camp (the best co-counselor I ever had...hands down). The second is from this past fall when we led worship at our church's women's retreat. (I look suspiciously big around the middle, but I assure you it was a camera not a baby or anything!) Incidentally, the 3rd woman pictured with us? Jennifer, from my very first Titus 2 blog.


Kathryne has become a true spiritual mentor to me, and I'm going to close with one of her favorite verses to share--from our favorite translation, the NLT:

Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for what He's done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.

- Phillipians 4:6-7

Titus 2 Tuesday

Oops. I'm late...but I've committed to actually doing this weekly, so in this case it's going to have to be better late than never :0)
So here's the usual question: What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever).
Go here to participate!

This week I'm choosing to honor my friend Angie. Angie and I met when we got to middle school, and I'll never forget that one of the first things she ever told me was that I shared a birthday with Reba McEntire. She was much more excited about this little fact than I was, but still it paved the way to a tentative and then genuine friendship.

By the time we were in high school we were "thick as thieves" as my parents would say. We wrote stories to pass the time away in classes such as chemistry, watched Veggie Tales during our peer facilitating class (hey, we were learning valuable lessons in order to help those kids we were working with...right?), and crossed the bridge together to go to the parking lot each day when the bell rang.

Angie and I had a lot of fun together, but our lunchtimes were probably my favorite part of the day. It was then we would discuss our very limited understanding of faith and how it affected our daily walk. We were so young and naive, and our journeys were just beginning, but we "got" that it was about God...in some form or fashion. I was fortunate to have a high school friend with which to discuss the things that are underneath all that surface stuff most of us are focused on in high school.

After I graduated and moved to TN for college we kind of fell out of touch for awhile. Neither meant for it to happen, but we both got busy... During this time we each journeyed deeper into faith and understanding what that really meant. It's amazing what life experiences will do to you, ya know?

A couple/three years ago we reconnected...amazingly enough through myspace and facebook first. Since then she's come to stay with me for a few days in Nashville, and I get together with her every time I make it to my hometown in Indiana. We send messages, texts, and occasionally a phone call (although neither of us is in love with the phone). It's kind of funny how we have parallel lives in so many ways--for example, right now we've been dating wonderful men for about the same amount of time (they're a little ahead of us) and we've had SO much to talk about regarding that. It has been SUCH a blessing to me to pick up where we left off and to be able to still talk about what's real with my dear friend.

Angie (left) and me

She's an amazing woman with a beautiful heart and who never fails to make me smile. We still don't talk as often as either of us would like, but we connect often (oooh, way to work in the word of the month, Lora!). I've learned from her how to laugh at myself and not take myself seriously, how to have REAL conversations, and how to maintain relationships across the miles.

So I am thankful for the chance to be real, to talk about faith, and to have a friend to journey with me. I'm thankful to have Angie in my life.

Titus 2 Tuesday

I found a fabulous blog today. Apparently this has been going on for awhile, but I'm just discovering it. A Titus 2 Tuesday simply means that we're honoring the women of influence in our lives. You can read more about it here at the blog I found this morning. Read all the way down--there's a beautiful piece of Beth Moore writing in it, and she's one of my favorites. :0)

I'm stumped on this one though. Not because I don't have anyone to write about...but because there are so many. So I'm symbolically pulling a name out of a hat here :0)

A woman who has influenced me this week is my friend Jennifer.

Jen and I both sing on the praise team at church and have discovered over the past months that we have many other things in common. Strangely enough we've become closer because of facebook, even though we live in the same city and attend the same house of worship. Our paths cross more often now than they did when we first became friends, and I'm happy to have her in my life.

Jennifer influences and inspires me because she's real. She's hilarious, loving, and a God-seeker. She has a way of talking about her husband and three daughters that lets you know how much she adores them...and when you see them together there is no doubt that the feelings are mutual. She has loyal friendships with wonderful people and would do anything for them. She is part of a close-knit cooking club, Bible study, and small group Jen also obsesses over tv shows (Lost and Flight of the Conchords come to mind) and gets a little stressed when everyone in the house gets sick. She has a sarcastic and witty sense of humor. And there are times when she needs to sit back and enjoy a glass of wine.

Why does she influence me? Because in knowing her I've learned to not be afraid to be real. To show ALL sides of me to those who are in my life. If they love me, they'll love me through all my stuff, not because I wear a mask easily.

Why does she inspire me? Because I'm aware of some of her struggles and I know that she is overcoming. I have faith that I can do the same. Because she is a true worshipper--when I see her at church I know that she is truly standing at the throne. And because she truly treats those around her with respect and dignity.

I'm thankful to know her, and I'm thankful to call her my friend.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou