Times of Refreshing

A little over a week ago a dear friend of mine who was one of my absolute favorite teachers from junior high and high school called me and asked if I could come to her home for a special birthday get together for her daughter, another one of my dearest friends....it turned out to be a gathering of 4 of my most favorite people in the world!!!! My teacher/friend is Donna Reynolds, her daughter is Donjalea, and the 2 others are Trish Grisso and Laura Banks. There are so many fun memories among this specific group of girls and my heart was so blessed, that so many years later, this was the group that was getting together!! Trish and Laura have been roommates of mine and are know me inside out friends, and Donjalea and I have been friends since elementary school. Donna R. is someone who comes to my mind often as being so influential in my life during a time that I was truly needing someone to speak truth into my life and I thank God for her everytime that she comes to my mind.

I had not seen any of them since I have returned from Benin....this fellowship was too sweet and intimate for words...lots of laughter and some tears as we shared what the Lord has been doing in our lives. Donjalea asked us all to take a turn at sharing what Jesus has meant to us in the past year. All of us had stories to tell and none of us are in circumstances remotely like the other. We poured out deeply and were encouraged, challenged and abundantly blessed. My heart is FULL. At the same time my heart has an ache...a longing for more frequent connections at this level of the heart. Time with these friends was like a sip of a refreshing drink and now I am wishing I could finish the whole cup...I know as we get older, real quality time with friends is sometimes hard to find. Tonight my heart is thankful for this time of refreshment that I know was from the Lord.