In the Company of Women

  I should have known the Lord answers prayers. Even when we don't think we are praying.
  Yesterday, He sent a friend over so I was able to purge the shadows left from the night of nightmares. In talking with her, I realized a couple of things. There's a lot on my plate right now. There's still some unfinished business surrounding my past. But mostly, I realized how far I have come. Praise God!
  The answered prayer? To have more friends.
  Here's the thing. It stretches me to let people in even though it's hard, this trust thing, but until I do, alone I'll stay. Which isn't healthy.
  Or wise.
  Especially when the Black River roars as loud as it did yesterday.
  I was blessed with having a good listener hear me out without trying to advise or guide or correct me. That's a rare thing with us women. Wanting to fix, to make boo-boos feel better, is a sign of a maternal heart, of caring. I can recognize it as such because it's part of me, too; a part I have to rein in when I am called to be a listener.
  Having space to vent is important.
  Or maybe it's not so much venting as sharing the things which weigh us down. Which is healthy. In the sharing, I found solutions. In the sharing, I found answers. In the sharing, my load lightened because I could see where God was working in and through my life.
  Mostly, my needs were identified. While the solutions aren't clear yet, I can begin to take steps to rectify what's wrong, to change what I can, and accept what is out of my power to control.

  So last night I made a pair of small throw pillows to match the piano bench cover. There's one more laid out, ready to sew later tonight.
  Creativity is a huge part of my wellness. Creating is.
  Making something from nothing...I need more of it in my life.
 
  Lord, thank You for the company of women. Thank You for strengthening my resolve to reach out. Thank You, Lord, that this friend reached in, adding her strength to mine.

  "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's lead in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another." Galatians 5:25-26