nelson ramblings: {Thirty Days of Thanks~Day 11}

I have been overwhelmed by the kindness of all of you---those who have taken a moment to read my ramblings; who have taken a moment to write a comment or an email or a fb message to encourage me. It has been precious to me---and something I will not soon forget. I was talking with a dear friend a couple days ago and the blog came up. He asked me how I really was because when he was writing his blog no one ever knew when he was down because he could keep it from his audience. I giggled at that later because I thought---oh my---I am SO transparent---there is NO WAY I could keep anything from anyone! Transparency isn't always a good thing, of course. I think however, it is who God made me---I'm sure I could use a filter occasionally! HA~There are a few bloggers that I used to read who seem to have the perfect life. They NEVER talk about anything going wrong on their blog---that's certainly their choice---BUT, I just couldn't read them anymore---my house will never be that clean, my children's clothes will never be that cute, my awesome thing that I make will NEVER look that good...you get the picture. I have tried to be real on this blog---for the first couple years it was just a place to share the crafty stuff I had made. Occasionally I go back and see all sorts of things I'd change now, but it's where I was at the time.

Well, this afternoon I had something happen that just totally threw me--it brought up SUCH sadness, grief, anger, pain, etc. I just cried and cried---everyone has days like this---I know this, but I'd rather not! As I began to think about what I would write in my post tonight I wondered what---after that---I could be thankful for. Now, please don't write me the list of 1,000 things----I already know them. I just wasn't feeling it. I sat down and wrote a friend a quick email to share the yucky thing and awhile later I received this beautiful, beautiful note from her. As I read it, I cried more than I had over my pain. It was just what I needed. She encouraged me, she cried with me, she HEARD ME.

But then she pointed me to Jesus. She encouraged me to "crawl in His lap and tell Him how much it stinks, and He will sing over you and comfort you in a way none of us can. He's just such a beautiful, forgiving, all-consumed-with-love-for Kathleen kind of God." She pointed me to Jesus.

Oh, how I need a friend like this in my life--especially now. One who will point me to Jesus. And I will say, she always does. Last year I did a post of my friends here. These friends are still part of my life. These are the ladies who have walked me through the darkness. These are the ladies who have loved me and prayed me through many other things in the last few years. I LOVE them. I love their families. I love their pets! ;D I am SO grateful that God, in his rich providence, saw fit to knit my heart together with women who love Christ and want me to love Him, too. WHAT A TREASURE. SO, today--I'm thankful for my sweet friends. I have other friends---some of them "old" friends who have known me for so long and do the same things with me---we just don't have as much occasion to see one another. THIS is for my Raleigh friends: Anita, Susan, Robin & Kristin.