Half as Hard, Twice as Good

 

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

I love spending time with my girlfriends. Sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry, and sometimes we just act stupid. Mostly, we enjoy being together.

 

Through the years, God has brought many special women into my life that I am blessed to call girlfriend. These girlfriends span the years; some have been my forever friends, and some are new. There are stateside friends, ex-pat friends, and national friends. Each group has filled a particular niche in my life.

 

I have girlfriends back in the states that have served as surrogate mothers when my kids returned stateside to attend college. They have thrown graduation parties, wedding showers, and baby showers in my stead. A couple of weeks ago, I was back in the states to meet my new grandson and help my daughter plan a wedding. Even though the wedding was still a few months away, two special friends threw a wedding shower so that I would be able to attend. They have loved me from near and far away.

 

Then there is the special group of girlfriends who have followed God’s call to live in a new country and culture. We commiserate together about the lack of Wal-marts, missing family, and raising children in a new culture. But, we also spend a lot of time laughing at our language blunders, cultural faux paux, and our blessed, yet crazy life.

 

God has also blessed my life with national girlfriends. They loved me through the process of learning language and taught me how to live in their culture. We walked side by side in hard places and I am blessed by their willingness to befriend a lonely American in a strange place.

 

So Girlfriends, I dedicate this song to you. You are the ones I have laughed, cried, and prayed with through the years. You have truly made my life “half as hard and twice as good.” I love you.

   

A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.  ~Donna Roberts

 

Comments

[Betsy]

What a wonderful post! I have girlfriends in those three categories you describe and have found them also to be such a wonderful suupport group. Blessings to you and your friends.

[acommonwoman]

Betsy, thanks for the comment. God is so good to provide such a wonderful support group through our girlfriends.

[Kim]

So very true! Although my friendships with the ladies here are still pretty superficial due to my language inadequacies. But it's early days and I'm hopeful that as I understand Spanish better, those relationships will deepen.

Thanks for sharing the song too! I really like Sara's music. I discovered her shortly before we moved overseas and her "Painting Pictures of Egypt" so perfectly summed up how I was feeling at the time!

[acommonwoman]

"Painting Pictures of Egypt" is one of my favorite Sara Grove's songs. It has helped me rethink my priorities on many of my hard days.