to be honest, i was intimidated at first. i didn't know what to expect or if the girls in the group would accept me. you see, middle school was HORRIFIC. and when i mean horrific, i mean horrific. i'm not trying to throw a sympathy party for myself, but it was a common occurrence for me to come home and cry about school. the girls i hung out with were just plain ugly to me and went behind my back and caused all sorts of that middle school drama. but when i stepped in to mikey stephens' office that first wednesday night i began to have faith that maybe middle school wouldn't be so bad with these girls. i'm thankful that my mom challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone and to have fun at church!
it started off with susan and nicole as the "ring leaders". we studied different books, had lessons on gossip, forgiveness, beauty, etc. Courtney, Christin, Heather, and i are the sole survivors of the bible study through the middle school years...along with sus, of course. i like to think of us as the core, the heartbeat of the bible study.
along the way we had some friends join us...kelsey, laura, hilary, tara, becca, and kelsey...and how can we forget lynne? with the group stronger than ever, we continued through high school. through high school, wednesday night's were my favorite night of the week. i got to spend an hour with all these godly young women who would encourage me, not talk about me, and most importantly-like me for who i was. sometimes hours and hours were spent fellowshipping with one another and sharing our thoughts of the world and everything else in it. though we didn't necessarily stay on point every week, i always took something out of that precious hour we spent together. one of my favorite studies that we did was read "Dateable". if you've never read it, start now. you won't regret it. if you need a copy, let me know because i have two!
i'm thankful that i had such a strong support system through my middle and high school years. i'm thankful i have tremendous role models like lynne and susan to look up to. i'm thankful that i've been able to create friendships with these girls that will last forever. i'm thankful that these girls know my heart and can tell when something's going wrong.
we're all different places now. kelsey and courtney at UGA, christin at Auburn, me at GCSU, heather at ABAC, laura at Furman, and most recently- tara's going to Auburn, hilary's going to Berry, becca's going to Valdosta State, and kelsey is going all the way to Vancouver Film School. AND how could we forget that sus got married to a wonderful man and has some cute kids, and lynne embarked on a new journey to Baltimore with her kids and husband, Steve. but- no matter the distance that these girls are from me, i know that they're all just a phone call away.
whoever's reading this (if there is anyone...it's ok if there's not...blogging is a nice way to think!) i encourage you to get involved somewhere. anywhere. you never know what it'll be like til you try it. find a group of people that will encourage you in your walk, help you with life's dramas, let you cry on their shoulder, and share God's love with you.
i will always be thankful that i walked in to the office to find the girls that i would be friends with forever.
love these girls so much!!
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