{Thirty Days of Thanks~2012; Day 1}

Hello blog---Oh, how I've missed you. I wish I had more time for you. You are dusty and neglected, but I am going to use you this month anyway.

I'm embarking on my Thirty Days of Thanks again this year. Once again, I find myself in the place of sincere thanks in all areas of my life. I think I am a changed woman from the woman who wrote last year, and I was last year from the year before. I know it is the goal in Christ to work out my salvation. I have SO much more to "work out"---but I am getting better at seeing the beauty in every day. At seeing things through the lens of Someone Else. There are plenty of areas of my life that I am not handling with grace, but I do feel like the Lord has allowed me to see beauty even in the ugliest of days...for this I am grateful.
NO, that's not what I'm thankful for today---today I am thankful for old friends.

Day One | Friends | The Meltons

Can I say "old friends"? Oh yes, it's my blog---I can say whatever I want!!!---you know what I mean. Friends from long ago. I must tell you, I have had the unique privilege to live in  6 cities in my adult life and I have DEAR, SWEET friends from each place. These are the friends you don't keep up with on a regular basis, but when you do, it's so natural and easy---just like it was when you were together many years ago. Just this week, I had the opportunity to visit with these friends-Doug and Lana Melton.

 I lived next door to the Melton's when I first had Caitlin. Doug and David were on staff together and we spent HOURS together sharing meals, watching movies, hanging out. I learned how to be a good mom by watching Lana parent her (then) two boys. She was such a great, easy-going mom and she helped me develop into a fairly confident mama. We moved away and our families grew and now our children are  growing up. They are marrying  and having babies! We rarely see each other anymore---it has been too long. Doug is a pastor and Lana works for Oklahoma Baptist University. It's hard for them to get away, but Doug came to speak in Chapel at Southeastern Seminary this week and we were able to spend two evenings together. It was such a joy to catch up--for Doug to have some boy-time with my boy and for them to meet this family.

They hadn't met Carson or Eve and Lana just kept saying how much she felt like she was looking at Caitlin all those years ago each time she looked at Eve---

I am so grateful for the chance to catch up and SEE these dear friends. Face to face---people who love unconditionally, who love my children because they love me and I feel the same way about them. These are once in a lifetime friends for some---I am so blessed to have been given many precious friends like the Meltons in my life---none share the same history with my family that these friends do---and that makes them special. But I am TRULY grateful for "old"---lifelong friends. I KNOW this is a gift from a gracious Heavenly Father--And I have to leave you with this last picture---here's Doug's "Mother" picture from Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels---I think you had to be there!