Cheryl

I have known my friend Cheryl since our Austins were babies, and they are almost officially teens now. Cheryl has always placed her family at the top of her priorities. She was a stay at home mom until her youngest started school, and then she went to work in the school where she could be near her kids and have summers and other vacations and holidays off with them. Cheryl is a grandma now, and shows the same love for her grandson that she has for her children. She is diligent about teaching and demonstrating moral character to her children as well as to the girls that she leads in the youth group at out church. She is a great encouragement to her friends, always having a kind word to lift them up. Cheryl is a loving and devoted wife, always speaking well of her husband. One of the things that makes me smile is the way she will send out an email to the team, when Craig is leading worship, and sign it Craig's secretary. Making sure we are "on the same page" is just one of the ways she blesses us all. I'm glad that we are friends and that we have been able to watch our kids grow up in church together. Thanks for all you do to make the world a little brighter.

Ted

I don't know if it matter's how I choose what friend to write about, but today Ted Bryant was at the top of the list on my facebook profile. Let's see, I have known Ted since I was in eleventh grade. We had something in common... Eric. I was Ted's worst nightmare, but he accepted me as a friend and together we weathered some difficult years of adjustment. Ted was there for me. It may have been five hours in a car, but he was only a phone call away. He was a great pen pal too. I still have a collection of letters and coloring pages we exchanged in the mail as we each endured a time of separation from family and friends. These are bittersweet memories in many ways, as the hurts in our lives at that time were very real.

Ted was the best man in our wedding, and Eric and I were both privileged to stand up in Ted and Betsy's wedding: Eric as his best man and me as a bridesmaid. We should have done a better job of staying in touch with Ted and Betsy and their lovely daughter throughout the years. I am thankful that in the past few years we have been able to get our families together a few times. Those times have been a blessing to me. Ted has grown into a faithful Christian man who loves the Lord with all his heart. He stands out to me as a great example of faith. He has a great desire to spread the gospel and see people saved from their sin and living their lives for Jesus. He participates in ministry at http://www.northpointeny.org/ through music and other avenues to effectively share the Word of God. My life has been greatly blessed by knowing Ted. Thanks for always being there friend. ♥

Rebecca

I have decided to bring this blog out of hibernation. It's sometimes difficult to decide which friend I should write about, so today I closed my eyes and randomly typed a letter in the search window on facebook. My friend of the day is Rebecca Braswell, more familiar to me as Becky Hails. I have known Rebecca since the day I started Kindergarten. She was was very friendly which helped to ease my anxiety, though as a five year old I am sure I didn't think of it in those terms. Becky rode my bus which meant I always had a friend nearby. I was so shy that it wasn't usually easy for me to get to know people. She was at the first birthday party that I can remember having. Becky liked to laugh and joke.

As with many of my friends time and circumstances have put distance between us. My interaction with Becky is now limited to the social network of facebook. I can see though that she is a devoted mother and a loving wife. She seems to be able to face life's challenges with joy and confidence. I understand that she is an excellent artist working mostly with pottery. She has a positive outlook on life that is uplifting. I am glad that we can be connected once again regardless of location. Rebecca, I am praying for blessings in your life and family today.