Blessing Turnaround

In friendship's fragrant garden, there are flowers of every hue, Each with its own fair beauty, and it's a gift of joy for you. ~Friendship's Garden This past summer my husband, Shawn, who owns his own business, was asked to hire another worker. A young man, Nathaniel, who was just graduating from Bible College to become a pastor, planned to begin his internship at a local church. Nathaniel would also be marrying this same summer and would be in need of housing. I was able to meet both him and his fiance, Annalisa, when they came to view an apartment Shawn had available for rent. Months past. Then one evening at supper Shawn told me that since Annalisa had been a missionary kid during her teen years she hadn't gotten a driver's license. When she applied after getting married, thinking they would have a permit in hand soon, she discovered the law requires you wait 6 months for your permit. So, that left Annalisa at home all day, alone, until her husband returned from work and took her to do whatever shopping needed to be done. A few weeks later I started to think that maybe I could help Annalisa.  I brought the idea up to Shawn and, of course, that is when he told me that was the main reason for him telling me Nathaniel and Annalisa's situation. Thinking of helping Annalisa felt "right" -- like God had given me a way to bless someone.  Little did I know that blessing Annalisa would take a turn and start blessing me! Since I am eight months pregnant, it makes it nice to have someone help deposit groceries into the trunk if need be. Plus, I am so sick that it is hard for me to get out of the house, so knowing I'm scheduled to pick Annalisa up does help me get my shopping done. Plus, it's keeping our fridge and pantry stocked. The Sewing of Friendship. WOW! Whether we have a garden full of friends or if we have a small cluster or maybe even one dear friend, we all started the process the same way.  In my case, I first planted the seed by calling Annalisa and asking her to join me on my grocery shopping run. Second, I faithfully watered the seed by making our grocery shopping a weekly habit. Thirdly, I watched as the seed sprouted while we grew comfortable with each other (didn't take long) and now our friendship has blossomed into a beautiful relationship. Are you happy with your friendship garden? Is it producing healthy friendships? Or do you feel as if the friendships are drooping and some are even dying? Go forth and plant a seed! I am sure it will encourage someone and, like it has me, will become a huge blessing for you. P.S. This also includes my two younger children getting to be a part of helping someone. They are not bothered by the fact that we have a "tag-along" to the store - they actually get to go out more because of it. And oh, did I mention Annalisa has a dog? Now that makes her really special in their book!!