Project Thankful - Day 10

Today I am thankful for friends. And I think most of us out there can claim we have friends or acquaintances. And I'd like to think that most of us would say that we're grateful for those people. But today I'm not talking about those just sort of surface level friends...

Ladies & gentlemen... what I'm talking about here today are FRIENDS!!! And I don't mean the Ross & Rachel kind. I am talking about the kind of friends who have helped to bear my burdens, who have cried the "ugly cry" with me, shared in my joys, helped me to grow deeper in my walk with Jesus, had babies with, sent husbands to war with, welcomed husbands home, helped me to be a better wife, a better friend, and friends who were just there in those day in and day out nitty, gritty, real-life struggles. Those are the friends I am thankful for today.

Being an Army wife can be a lonely existance at times. Especially when you've just moved to a new duty station, or shoot, when you've moved away from any & all duty stations, life can just get a little lonely. For this introverted-ish gal it can become extremely exhausting explaining to new people where we've come from, where "home" really is, and that "yes, I actually do enjoy, for the most part, this crazy Army life."

Most of the friends I am talking about today are Army wives. Although there are some exceptions to that rule. :)

Army wives are a special breed... They are girls that can handle the tough stuff, like deployment, geographically single parenting, having babies, living life, traveling, moving, whatever, and keep they on going and become better because of the tough stuff. They are the girls who you can be so authentically real with, and they still love you. They are friends that I can not talk to for weeks, or months, or at times maybe a year, and we can pick up right where we left off, without skipping a beat. (And hopefully with either a coffee or glass of wine or a big beer in our hands!) :) They are, what my really good friend over at Girl With a Notebook has called "Friends for the Journey." (Read her post on that topic here.)

I am forever indebted to my girls, my friends for the journey. You know who you are. Not all of you are Army wives, but most are. Thank you for allowing me to be me, for being my friend, and most of all, for helping me learn how to live and love like Jesus all the more. I love you. I am so grateful for you!