I've got you.

On my flight to Phoenix last month, I forgot to check in early. In Southwest terminology, that equates to taking one of the last available seats on the plane. As a result, I ended up sitting by a man who was sleeping and had no one to talk to. As a result, I put in my headphones and pulled out Little Women and began to read. What a sweet story and full of so much wisdom, too.

When I got to chapter 4, Marmee was sharing a story with Jo to teach her about appreciating the blessings in her life. She said, "When you feel discontented, think over your blessings, and be grateful."When I read that line, I shut my book and started to think. When thinking of the blessings God has placed in my life, what began to flood my mind were not things. They were people. Like you.

If I am having a bad day, thinking about the people in my life is one sure way to turn my attitude back to the positive and bring a smile to my face. Looking back, I can count more than a few occasions that I have prayed for God to place people in my life on different occasions. Let me say, that your existence and presence in my life is a testament to the truth that God answers our prayers.

Amidst the whirring of the airplane engine (which is somewhat amplified over the wing...I really should check in earlier for better seating options), these are some of the blessings that immediately came into my mind that morning in March.

Jeff. Jeff has been such a wonderful part of my life over the past year and a half (He's the tall good looking one in the picture). He is one of the most kind, generous, fun, and caring people I have ever met. He is a man who seeks the Lord, and it is so evident in the way he lives his life. He makes me laugh, brings out the best in me and makes me want to be better. Watching the way he lives his life, he makes me want to strive to be more like Christ in generosity, grace, and compassion. He makes me take myself less seriously (and boy do we all know I need help with that), makes me feel special,  and brings so much joy into my life. He is someone I respect, admire, and trust. The memories I have made with Him are some of my favorite and most valued. I wouldn't trade them for the world. I thank the Lord for him every day. God has and continues to use dating him to bless me in countless ways.

My girlfriends. The other night, I got together with a friend on a whim. The night was comprised of eating, laughing, and gabbing. Yes, men, "girls nights" usually do fit stereotypes (and I'm so glad they do because if I was deprived of chocolate, carbs or talking  for an extended length of time, I would be a much less pleasant person to be around). Anyways. At the end of the night, we thanked each other for listening to each other gab and share what was on our hearts.  We all usually have a lot to say don't we, ladies? Thanks for listening. To all the ladies God has placed in my life, you are my people. You know who you are. People I can be myself with. Be honest. Be real. God has put so many incredible women in my life. You all floor me daily with the way you care deeply about others, the way you use your God given talents,  the way you get things accomplished, and the way you somehow find time to fit me into your life and choose to be a part of mine. I heard somewhere, once, that God gave us girlfriends so we wouldn't scare everyone else away. You might laugh at that statement, but maybe there is a bit of truth in it (ok, a lot). I think God knew we needed other women in our life to speak our language, help us sift through our emotions, and bring us back to Him amidst our wide array of emotions and our jumbled thought processes. On a lighter side, nothing beats eating cookie dough out of the tube with you and analyzing the instagram accounts of celebrities we follow. Also, thanks for being a second set of eyes when I hate everything in my closet. In the words of Rory Gilmore, "How did you do that? I've been staring at that top for twenty minutes. It was just a top. You walked in and in three seconds, it's an outfit." Thanks for encouraging and supporting me (in the emotional realm and also to let go of fashion trends from the early 2000's).


Women's Life Group. For the past few years, I have had the joy of being a part of a wonderful women's Bible study. I had never met any of these women three years ago, but now they are such a pivotal part of my life. We all come from different backgrounds and different places, and I love that. These are women I get to learn with every week and pray with. You ladies make me look forward to Tuesday night every week, and I am so thankful that God lets me walk through life next to you. We have shared tears, laughs, joys, and struggles. I learn from each of you - through your strength, your boldness, your honesty, and the way you share love with others.

Family. I love you all so much. You have made me who I am. You watched my sports games (even though I was never very good) and helped me practice my spelling words. You fixed my hair. You spent evenings next to me on the couch when I was sick. You did puzzles with me and took me to the park to feed the ducks when I came to visit. You dried my tears. You took me to church and introduced me to the love of Christ. You gave me a debt free education (I can't say thank you enough

for that gift). You taught me to value myself and value others. You showed me what hard work, love and faithfulness look like. You made up stories about Silly Sally with me on road trips and have been my biggest cheerleaders. You've shown me how much my heart grows each time new life comes into our family. You've shared some of the biggest events in my life and are a precious part of so many of my biggest memories. I love all of you with all my heart, and I always will.

I could go on for days about all the people I hold dear to my heart. But this is a blog, and not a book. And if I was writing a book about all of you, I would probably have to change all the names like in The Help, and I probably would get confused about which one of you I was calling Ashley and which one I was calling Billy. It would be a mess. So I will keep it short and sweet. Know though, that you have been a tangible answer to my prayers. You are the hands and feet of Christ in my life. Each of you lights up my world.

Last month when I was visiting Phoenix, the night before my niece's 5th birthday party, I got to help my sister, Kim, with her party decorations. She is a wonderful party planner, and had the perfect rainbow birthday party planned for Audrey to a "T", including a wonderful string of balloons across the back porch.

The next morning, my sister was outside with Audrey. Audrey was sitting in a chair on the porch, looking at the rainbow balloons and streamers. My sister came inside to tell me what Audrey said. "Sometimes you go to the party. And sometimes the party comes to you." From the mouth of a 5 year old babe.

Maybe the party isn't always something by definition extravagant. Maybe it is right in front of us and we need to sit down on the porch and look right in front of us to see it. It's spending time with someone who can make you laugh driving through your apartment parking lot. It's making a tent out of fitted sheets and chairs in the living room to fill with sleeping bags and popcorn. It's long walks, Chinese takeout and laughing so much it hurts. It's opening a text message from a friend telling you that she is praying for the burdens on your heart. It's having the confidence that there are those people in your life who won't run the other direction when you don't have time to brush your hair, wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or knock on the door with tear smudged eyeliner (because let's be honest, all three of those things happen more frequently than I wish...and none are very becoming. Maybe it's time to invest in some tear waterproof makeup).  It's filling your heart and the moments of your day with people who give you a glimpse of what it looks like to love like Jesus in the good times and the bad.

It's loving and being loved. It's the freedom to be yourself. It's that grin that comes across your face right before you take a deep breath to go to sleep thinking about the people God placed in your life.

I have all that and more because I've got you.