Welcome to week 3 in the new home of Echoes of Grace. I’m thrilled you are stopping in!
Remember to sign up at the right for the Echoes community. I’m excited to be sending this special group of friends a copy of my new eBook later this year.
And will you help me pass the word about Echoes? Share it on your Facebook page or email the link to your friends. If you have been encouraged by the message of Echoes, I bet your friends will be too.
And, btw, Echoes of Grace is expanding. I’m getting a new room painted and ready to invite you in on Monday, October 3. Stay tuned.
This week Bill and I are attending a family funeral. So I’m blessing you with the words of one of my new friends … her message appropriate to meeting new friends.
Some of my Best-ies …
Trisha, me, Bill, Dan
me, Paula, Carolyn
Janine, Deb Pam, me
me, Bill, Don, Liz
Kathy, me, Carol
Barb and me
Her email and the blog post collided. Their encouragement put new wind in my sails.
Interesting, three years ago I would have never been blessed by either; I hadn’t yet met Nancy or Mickey or Sara. They are all new friends, our paths intersecting because of need. Yup, need brought us together.
Mickey (bless her) introduced me to Sara who penned the blog that touched my heart and added fuel to the fire that I’ve been tending lately. (Really, Sara is a new on-line friend. Can I call her ‘friend’? She doesn’t even know I’ve read the words she published.)
YES, she is a friend; friends encourage; and she encouraged me.
Friendship can be messy and hard to create. I remember going into our new church in the city we had recently moved to. I initiated toward a lady I recognized from the previous week, it felt like I bumped into a closed circle. Ouch!
But the welcome was totally different in two other cities – thank you Trisha and Marion. Their circle was broken and they allowed it to expand.
Last spring one of the leaders in our Sunday school community invited me to be a shepherd for the class. As he explained, I responded I think you’re asking me to be a friend. Yes. I can do that except I kind-a didn’t want to be a friend with everyone. I liked my circle the way it was. I had to do some business with God on that response.
Sara’s blog entitled, Keep Your circle Broken exhorted me to always make room to welcome new friends. I hope you’ll enjoy reading her words here.
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17
It was 34+ years ago when we walked into the Growing in Grace SS Class and I was overwhelmed with the number of people and not knowing anyone. You walked up to me and said, I’ve only been here six months and my husband’s name is William Tell and it’s in the book. Call me if you need anything – and I did! It made a huge difference then, and still does now.
Kathy, love you my friend. You know I don’t remember that conversation over 34 years ago, but I’m so glad we had it. Your friendship has blessed me ever since.