Written By: Lucy Thompson
I can’t count how many times I’ve heard someone say to me, “You make friends with someone everywhere you go.” Yes, it’s true. I have made some lasting and special friendships with women that I have met in some random ways.
One sweet friend, April, and I met at Target. We kept bumping into one another all over the store and eventually struck up a conversation and exchanged phone numbers. I was later able to meet her precious family and watch them grow. Another friend, Tiffany, and I met at Five Guys. It was a very busy day, and I had a table for myself and my infant. Tiffany was looking for a table among the crowded restaurant for herself and her infant, who looked of similar age to mine. So I offered to have them sit with us. After talking for a while, we found out that we had some friends in common. That was ten years ago, and we’ve been friends ever since.
Another fantastic friend, Carla, and I met while waiting in line at the Apple store. We were the only women in a long line of nerdy guys waiting to get their hands on the first-generation iPad. So, of course, we began talking. Carla has been so influential to me in photography. She is seriously one of the kindest women and truly helps other women succeed, even if they are “competition” in her field.
Another friend, Tara, and I met while we were waiting in line at Whole Foods. Her sweet little daughter asked me about a magazine I was buying, which was about Dayton. I explained to Tara and her daughter that I was brand new to the area, and we realized that we had both just moved there within days of one another. We exchanged phone numbers and set up play dates (that’s what you do when you’re military and move so often), and our boys became sweet friends and loved being in preschool together. Another dear friend, Patty, and I met because she was vulnerable and posted on our church’s women’s Facebook page that she was new and wanted to meet new friends. I sent her a message and told her that I was new, too, and she came over to my house the next day. This woman has been such an essential part of my spiritual growth; I’m incredibly thankful to her.
All of these “random” meetings were not really that random. God knew I was going to meet these wonderful women. He planned the whole thing. I was obedient to His prompting of the steps to take, even if I felt a little awkward. I do know that no matter what I did to mess up the steps, God would still open the door to meet these women. Our story may have just ended up a little differently. They have all been such a blessing to me and have taught me something.
Is meeting new people easy for me? Yes, I suppose. I do like to talk to new people, finding common interests, connecting people, and networking. However, I don’t think that making friends, those true “2 a.m. friendships” is easy. Those 2 a.m. friendships take time to form. It takes both people being vulnerable and dependable to be able to count on one another no matter what’s going on or what time it is. Those are the friendships that I’m craving. The “Christina to my Meredith”- “my person.”
I’m an Enneagram 2, the Supportive Advisor. I can’t help myself but feel absolute joy in serving others and fulfilling their needs when they can’t. However, that sometimes leaves me wondering, “Would anyone else do that for me? Do people forget about me when they don’t see me?” The answers are: yes, they would, and no, they don’t. I need to allow a space to give others a chance to serve me, too. I need to be honest about my need/struggles. And oh boy, have they shown up and shown out with love for me when I needed my friends the most.
When we were in the middle of having our house packed up for our move overseas, my dad wound up in the hospital. My friends dropped what they were doing and stayed at my house to ensure that our stuff was packed correctly so that my incredible Aunt Ruth could take me to the hospital to be with my dad. Recently, my precious, caring friends dropped absolutely everything they had going on again to come to my house and hold me with the best hugs when my incredible Aunt Ruth passed away. These friends will never know what their kindness meant to me at that moment.
Is finding that 2 a.m. friend hard to do? Sometimes. Will you find them? Absolutely! I know God has that friend for you. He did not design us to do life alone. That’s another great reason to go to church and join a life group. You can also smile and say hello to those around you when you’re out and about. You never know when you’ll meet that friend. God does, though. Put in the work. Open up and be honest with your victories and struggles. Show up for one another. It’s going to be so so worth it. Life is so much better with friends. True friends.
Written By: Lucy Thompson
