He Knew!

Last night after everyone was in bed, I decided to get up for some orange juice. When I went to open the refrigerator , I saw a magnet on the door that I had never seen before. "A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future and accepts you today the way you are." I knew right away who it was from and how it got there without me knowing!

Junior High and High School tend to be full of drama when it comes to teenage girls and their issues with each other! They love each other, they hate each other. Best friends one day, worst enemies the next! One makes class council one year, the other makes it the next year. One has a boyfriend all the time, one wishes they had a boyfriend all the time. Thinking back to that time in my life makes me so glad that I am no longer a teenage girl. Mom, how about you? Do you still wish I was a teenager? HA! Teenage girls are the worst and if your friendship can make it through the teenage years, it can make it through anything. Kelly McNeil was a friend from junior high and high school and church. Not only did we attend the same schools but we were also in the same youth group from church which means we were together all the time. We had one class together, Choir. She was an alto, I was a soprano. We sat across the room from each other and when things weren't going well in our relationship, our eyes would constantly roll when making eye contact with each other. It was intense! Then, the next day things would be fine and we would laugh at each other or do things to get each other's attention. Many days we went to lunch together until one of us got mad and then it was off. Wednesdays were not good days for us to hate each other because we had youth on Wednesday nights and our youth pastor could always tell when one of us were not getting along. Oh, the games I played as a girl! Kelly was sooooo smart and sooooooo pretty and had soooooooo many boyfriends. Is that why she upset me so much back then? What do you think? When I think back to that relationship I am truly amazed because God gave both of us such an incredible and actually mature way of getting over things. Once we made up, it was done. We always. He knew!

He knew that in the year 2005 that Kelly and Amanda would be in their late twenties and need each other. He also knew that there would be two little boys only two months apart that needed each other. Kelly's son ,Trey and my son, Josiah. Over the past ten years, Kelly and I have seen each other a couple of times but even that was seven years ago. Not too long ago, our ten year reunion came up. I was unable to go because we were moving but I saw Kelly's name on an email and decided to send her a message. Many emails exchanged and good times shared and finally a few weeks ago, we got together. She lives only fifteen minutes away! Josiah and Trey had an instant connection. Almost every single morning Josiah wakes up saying, "I want Trey to come over. I want to ride in Trey's mommy's car. I want to go to Trey's house!" Trey, Trey, Trey, Trey, Trey! Josiah told my mom yesterday that Trey was his best friend. I also understand that in Trey's home it is "Josiah this and Josiah that". God knew that not only did I need a friend, but Josiah needed one too. He knew!

A few weeks ago I begin to pray specifically for a friend that I could be myself with. A friend that I did not have to spend forever getting to know. A friend that was Godly, encouraging and a friend that had kids, more specifically someone that had a boy Josiah's age. Never in a million years would I have known it would be one of my best friends that I grew up with, but He knew.
So yesterday Kelly Ann called me and asked if I was going to be home because she wanted to drop something off at my house. Her and Trey came by and my mom was here so that was fun for my mom to get to see Kelly. My precious friend brought a gift that I needed and told me that this was letting me know that she believed in what I was doing and praying for it. (I am chasing after a dream right now and as God works out the details, I will share with you what it is but not yet!) But Kelly knows what it is and blessed me with a wonderful gift and even more goodies. She plays The Grocery Game and had some wonderful bargains and shared the wealth with me. Little did I know that she placed that magnet on my refrigerator while she was here yesterday but He knew!

I needed someone close by. I needed someone to go to Target and Hobby Lobby with. I needed someone to scrape change with and go eat off the ninety-nine cent menu at Wendy's with. I needed someone that doesn't get so stressed out like me when the kids are acting crazy. She is calm and I needed that. I needed someone to accept me when I am ugly and she has, she will and she did. In junior high, in high school and here we are now. I never knew that Kelly Ann would be here fifteen years later. I never knew our sons would become friends. I never knew that she would be such a breath of fresh air and my incredible answer to prayer. I never knew.
But...He knew.

"A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future and accepts you today the way you are."

Thank you Kelly Ann!