Friends and Faith

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." ... Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them. Mk 10:13-16 Goodness comes in many forms. In the giggles of children, in the embrace of a loved one, in the silence of a still home while babies sleep....and on and on it goes. Goodness also comes in the reunion of amazing friends who regardless of time or distance, you are still able to pick up right where you left off...as if it has only been a week since your last encounter, not years. Friends who know your secrets, your dreams, your strengths and weaknesses, your quirks, your history....and still love you, regardless.

Yes, it was a FABULOUS weekend away for Steve and I in beautiful Annapolis, MD. A place that holds only wonderful memories of easier, slower times with the BEST of friends. This place brings a smile to my lips and a giggle under my breath of days spent boating, waterskiing and hydrosliding after long weekends of 12 hour night shifts on Labor and Delivery at Bethesda. A place where the alcohol never ran dry, the laughs never ceased, and the foundation of lifetime friendships were laid. Ahh, yes. Good times. And as always happens here, more wonderful memories were etched onto our life canvas. About ten years ago, I was blessed to have an amazing friend enter my life. And at the time, I didn't realize how much I needed her. But her presence for the last decade has been a constant, when so many other things have changed. She was there when September 11, 2001 occurred and our husbands were 5,000 miles away. She was there at our wedding, and stepped up to film our ceremony and reception when I panicked at the last minute (literally, like the day of) that I had made a terrible decision by not hiring a videographer. Her background commentary on the video still makes me laugh until I have tears streaming down my face and my stomach hurts. It is one of my favorite momentos from that wonderful day. We struggled together, through her challenges to become a mother and rejoiced at the birth of each of her three beautiful sons. She has been a constant source of love, support, and laughter as we each continue our personal journeys of motherhood and marriage. But of all the things I love most about her: she is real. What you see, is what you get. There is no smoke and hidden mirrors. She has always been a true friend, no matter how hectic life gets or how many miles separate us. My sweet friend, Addie, embodies all the qualities that I believe a friend should possess: happiness, loyalty, kindness, honesty, reliablity, trustworthiness, respect, faithfulness and love. I am so grateful to have been blessed with a friend like Addie in my life. Everyone should have an Addie by their side to walk with on this journey of life. When Addie and Rob welcomed their third beautiful son, Carter Burke Stanley, into the world, we were both honored and humbled when we were asked to be his godparents. On a beautiful afternoon in May, we were blessed to be present and bear witness to the baptism of our godson at the US Naval Academy. We celebrated this sacred event along with Rob and Addie's family and friends, all of who are wonderful people. We now know how Rob and Addie became the strong, loving, beautiful Christian people they are, after coming to know their families. William and Harrison: Boys will be boys. My husband loves babies, which is one of the million reasons I love him. On our way out of the Washington, DC area, we made a quick stop to see the World War II memorial that has been completed since our last visit to the area. One word: respectful. When you take a moment to consider all of the sacrifice that this "greatest generation" endured for our freedoms, one can be nothing but respectful and honor their commitment to something that was greater than themselves. Our gratitude to their sacrifices can never be repaid, except to honor the freedoms that they fought for. To stand and protect our constitution from interpretation by self-serving politicians with little more on their minds than money, power and selfish gains....which are the exact qualities that our fore-fathers fought against. But, this is not a political blog, so I will keep my personal political ideals to a minimum.

We honored the memory and remembered the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service of their beloved country on Memorial Day. Even my little patriots got a lesson on what this day meant, as they proudly wore their red, white and blue.

You didn't think I could go an entire post without slipping in a few pic of my lovelies, did you? Friends, family, faith and country. These are the things that make life beautiful. Yes, there were many more memories created and goodness added to our already beautiful story....to OUR LIFE.