Us.

I like us.

We laugh at ourselves.

We cry when it's time for that.

We listen.

We talk. A lot.

We create.

Sometimes it turns out, and sometimes it goes in the trash. 

We laugh at that too.

We blog, and then at different times, we lose vision. 

Then we inspire each other.

We encourage each other to keep it up.

Keep building, investing, loving, and surrendering.

We teach each other.

We grow in different ways.

And give honor to those differences.

We honor each other's journeys.

To honor means to give weight to something.

To value and validate.

That's friendship.

And sometimes our outfits match without even trying.

Thanks for being my friend.

Love is for friends, Day 13

For Shauna:

Day 13: I love how you live your life. Is that too broad? You live what you believe, you try to think the best of your loved ones, you speak truth when needed, you give grace when needed....and of course you are not perfect. But over all of this, I see that you try your hardest. And when you make a mistake, you are humble about it. You are sincerely trying to be the best obedient little daughter of God that you can, and when you aren't, you are grateful for His grace for you, and you are never minimizing that by condemning yourself or feeling guilty. You live His freedom, and I can see that that is what motivates you to LOVE in return and outwards to everyone else.
For Leslie:

Day 13:( written the day AFTER...sorry)  i love your grace.
i am always amazed when there is conflict in your life, that you are not more quick to point fingers at the "wrong do-er". i can see clearly god's grace for the ones you love flowing through you. this last year i have seen you looking at your family and friends through a lens that shows you how God must see them. He's given you compassion when i don't expect it. that is a great example to me. really. i think of it a lot. thank you.




{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends, Day 12

For Shauna:

Day 12: In response to yours yesterday, I love your children. They are such creative, emotional, expressive, and interesting people. They are speakin' my language often, and I am in awe of how amazing they are. You are such a good mother to them. You know what they need, and you are not afraid of doing your job as a mother to them. They really have such beautiful hearts, and I know that is largely because of you and they way you listen to God for wisdom in how to raise them.

For Leslie:

Day 12: i love all your words.
i am sometimes jealous of your gift of words, and sometimes relieved that i don't have it, you know?
you are so easily able to express your thoughts or ideas by explaining.  i know that can seem like a burden, but it is amazing to see you use it for good.  that's what you do. use your gift for good.
i can remember clearly, several times when i read something your wrote and had to exclaim....outloud....some kind of comment or something because it was so great. it was different sorts of things each time. jubilee (obvs. that one is actually a double whammy since i read it twice with years separating the times and BOTH times meant something different to me). random tidbit stuff...it doesn't have to be life changing every time, it just has to fit the need. you do that. fit the need with your words.  i love that.

oh gosh! i am getting good at this! are we really stopping on the 14th?!

ha ha just kidding...


{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends, Day 11

For Shauna:

Day 11: I'm thankful for you right now. We talked earlier and I was frustrated about something going on in my home. You took the edge off my voice, and stopped me from a conflict I would have caused. Then you reminded me that probably most of my frustration was because I feel crummy today anyway (right now my sinuses are killing me!). You were so right. Your wisdom softened my words and my heart, and everything worked out better than expected. I so needed your gentle steering, not just empathy and understanding. I got off the phone and really felt the truth that 2 are better than 1. Thank you for listening, and then not just telling me what I want to hear.


For Leslie:

Day 11:  i love how you love my kids.
i always know their feelings are safe with you.
even if they are being a pain in the butt.
you treat them as you would your own.
that is a beautiful gift.


{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends, Day 10

For Shauna:

Day 10: We have a lot of differences, but we do have some sameness too. I love some of that sameness, like how we could both spend two hours in a bookstore chatting, reading, sipping tea, checking out all the latest children's books, looking for books that would bless the people we love, and finding the next perfect thing to read. We would buy different things, but we'd love the experience just the same.
For Leslie:

Day 10:   oh friend, is it really 7pm?
i love that when i have a day where i don't stop until 7pm...not once, you can completely relate.
i know you have those days.
so i feel a little less alone.
a little bit-o-sameness DOES go along way....

{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends, Day 9

For Shauna:

Day 9: I love how hospitable you are. You have a welcoming home to go with your welcoming spirit. This is really a gift you know how to give others, and Ella will learn a great deal from watching you serve your friends and family in this way. Being in your home and the way you tend to my needs tells me (and everyone else who comes over) that I am loved. I love to hang out over there, and I'm blessed to have a place like your house in which I feel I can be myself and be known. Isn't this what we want EVERYONE who comes over to feel like? Again - a really good example to me....
For Leslie:

Day 9: i love that when i tell you that i am (a little bit) burning out on the everyday dissecting our love post thing, you will still love me.
words sometimes are not my best thing, and i have a tummy ache from that burger place today....
so here is my love...in my language....

and finally....

i love this one (above) so so much.

really so much.

and i love you.

{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends, Day 8

For Shauna:

Day 8: I love how giving you are. Your level of generosity challenges me. I'm sure you don't realize it, but sometimes giving generously, for me, goes against my nature to be measured and fair. That's why I don't think of it as much. And you remind me that giving is really, really important. I love how you model being a blessing to others for no reason other than lavishing them with love. You're awesome at that.

For Leslie:

Day 8: i love how helpful you are.  i think you maybe got that from your mom...she seems gifted in that area.  if there is a problem, and i am sharing it with you, you usually will pipe up with a solution or a volunteer to help, if you can. when, for me, it feels like a closed door, you still have 2 or 3 more options to try.
ok, ok, if i am in a not so healthy or frazzled conditions, or forgetting my own boundaries, i MAY get a little annoyed at this, but when i look at you from my seat at the computer right now, that helpfulness seems really great. i know this is how your mind works. trying things from every angle before giving up....i love that. i wish i was more like that. many times i don't even think of helping you find solutions....maybe because i know you are so good at it.

{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends, Day 7

For Shauna:

Day 7: I love that a lot of things aren't a big deal to you. I'm pretty dramatic at times, and it's refreshing to have a friend that isn't as much. (Yes, you can be dramatic too. Just not about the same things :) You don't think it's a big deal to drive 40 minutes for a cool antique shop. You don't care if the bill isn't split exactly down the middle. You don't mind if I help myself to a treat on your counter. You don't care that sand gets all in the car because you know the trip to the beach was so worth it. And you don't seem to mind all my hesitation with bill inequity and sand and my dramatics about lots of other stuff that doesn't matter. It feels freeing to be your friend. Thanks for that.


For Leslie:

Day 7: i love that we are not the same. and you are really one of the people in my life that has taught me to question the importance of same-ness.  cause really if you think about it, same-ness is a pain, at times. what if when we went shopping we were always tug-o-waring for the size 8? nope. if there is a 2, you get it. if there is an 8, i get it. easy. this is really the heart of our blog. two are better than one and even better if their strengths are kinda opposites, so when one sucks struggles at something, the other is there to lift her up!
i love that you seem to soar at the subjects i am lame at..... adding up the bill, assessing what my husband meant by some random comment that is bothering me, planning ahead, thinking of options (and i know i rock at making the final choices :).....we are not the same....praise the Lord!


{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends, Day 6

For Shauna:

Day 6:  I love how you parent. Your special Reed mixture of three little bodies I know makes you feel like the struggler at times when we're all together. But I really do learn from your parenting of them all the time. You are really, really good at being their mom. You always seem to know just what to do. You never seem exasperated, overwhelmed or defeated in your parenting. That I don't really understand, but I'm in awe of the way you seem to constantly have ideas or be energized for what they are throwing your way. You face the challenges of parenting without fear, and that makes us all feel a bit more capable to do so.

For Leslie:

Day 6: i love the way you seem to have an unlimited ability to listen to your kids.  i don't really understand that either.  by the time i  have completely tuned out the 57th whiney request for a snack, you are still able to say back to those little rascals what they must be feeling.  it is amazing.  and your kids talk slow.  i can see how God has done a work in you and stilled your heart in many moments, when it seems completely acceptable(to me) "shut them up" with a clipped rebuke, you can somehow keep listening. if that's not God's patience working right through you , i don't know what is.....i love that.



{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends, Day 5

For Shauna:

Day 5: I love how you strive to take your appropriate place in every relationship. You are great at trying not to overstep boundaries or take on more responsibility for a person's feelings than you should. I think this is an important skill in life and I also think very few people think about it. I'm glad your example has taught me to keep thinking about it.....in marriage, in parenting, with parents, siblings, friends....the whole range of relationships. It is so important; thanks for the many conversations we've had trying to figure out how to take our appropriate places in our relationships. We are protecting each other from a lot of potential wrong, I believe...


For Leslie:

Day 5: i love how you are willing to change.  i know, i know, you may not think that is true all the time....and of course none of this stuff that we have been sharing is ALWAYS true. we are both loving the others true selves.  and when you are your true self, you are making effort to be open to change. the reason i love that about you is that i know that change isn't easy for you (is it for any of us?).  i can see you working hard to have an open mind..... to plans, to God's ways, to your place, to a different food place, to taking a trip.....it's hard...you have MANY details floating around that little redhead of yours...but i see you striving for flexibility and easiness...i just love you.

{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends, Day 4

For Shauna:

Day 4: i love that you are such a joyful person. God knew I needed that in a friend. wow, did He know. even your happy music that i sometimes complain about actually makes me feel happier. your whole joyful nature teaches me to CHOOSE that attitude more, even when i don't naturally feel it because of my more melancholy personality. so you model a joyful spirit for me. and a lot of times, that points me to a better choice with my attitude. thank you for most always being able to find the joy in your day and for sharing it with me.


For Leslie:

Day 4: i know i have said this before(maybe on the description of you on this blog), but i have to say it again.  i love your taste. in food and clothes and fabric and cupcakes and music(usually) and pretty much everything.  we don't alway have the same taste, but i just love yours. i am sometimes feisty and try to say that i don't but is just a lie. xoxo

{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends, Day 3

For Shauna:

Day 3: I love how inspiring you are. You dream dreams, and that encourages me and others to do the same. You have beautiful visions and goals for yourself and your family members, and the most AMAZING part is that they are not "plans." You hold them loosely and you let them change and grow and evolve. You know GOD's plans, if they are different, are better than what you can dream up any day.

For Leslie:

Day 3: i love your desire to search out God's ideas for you.
you are someone who wants to work at figuring out His desires for your growth.  you are someone who wants to hear the hard stuff.  you don't want me to just always tell you what you want to hear.  that calls me to a higher friendship and at the same time is freeing me up not to tiptoe around your preconceived ideas of things(which we all have).
that is real friendship.
i don't know how many people i could have that level of friendship with since it is such a big commitment...ya know?
i am invested.
you bring that commitment out of me.
i love that.


{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends, Day 2

For Shauna:

Day 2: I love that you laugh a lot. I don't laugh very easily, and I wish I did. You help me laugh more, and you certainly help me laugh more at myself :) Thank you for reminding me how good it is to wash over our mistakes with grace and a light heart. It is one way you lift me up when I am down. Laughter is indeed good medicine.

For Leslie:

Day 2: i love that you usually have a plan.
i know that this can get you in trouble  at times. but it is something i really love about you. i am someone who likes to follow along sometimes since planning is not really my nature and all i can muster up is usually spent on my family. it is a relief to be around you when i just need someone else to be in charge.



{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

yes. love is for friends too.

i can play this game.

the reasons i love my friend leslie:

day 1.  you are so good at pursuing  relationship.
this has taught me so much about love.  i have used it in ALL my relationships.
this character trait that God put in you has (slowly) rubbed off onto me and i am getting better everyday at finding that bravery to pursue relationship with the ones i love.
you call it leaning in.
when i feel like backing out, because of you, i try to lean in.


{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}

Love is for friends too

Today I start counting the ways for you too, my friend. Your words reminded me that I have a row of 14 felt pockets in my heart with your name on them.

February 2011.

Day 1 - I love your bravery. You push your comfort levels out with both hands because you trust in the Lord to be your everything. Even when it's really, really risky.


{Thanks, friends, for following our February Advent. To view all the posts in this conversation, click on the tag "Love is for friends" on the sidebar}