BLOG FRIENDS CAN BE REAL LIFE DEAR FRIENDS

MY SWEET NEW FRIENDS EBE AND TONYA
TONYA'S TWO GIRLS WITH ANNA AND JOJO... MY KIDS WERE LOOKING SO FORWARD TO MEETING THEM, AND THEY HIT IT OFF GREAT.



I ABSOLUTELY HAD THE NICEST TIME WITH MY BLOG GIRLFRIENDS TONYA http://www.tonyatalk.blogspot.com/ AND EBE http://www.blogger.com/www.riskingloss.blogspot.com (side note, I am so computer illiterate... I need to figure out how to put a link in... I am sure it is an easy thing... I am just not that computer savvy:) IT WAS JUST FAR TOO SHORT OF A VISIT.

AND CAN I SAY MY FRIEND TONYA IS SO EASY GOING TO JUST LET US PLAN TO VISIT A WEEK AND A HALF IN ADVANCE, AND TO WELCOME ME AND MY 5 THERE TO STAY THE NIGHT.

I HAVE BEEN HOPING, WONDERING WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE, TO GET TOGETHER WITH SOME OF MY FRIENDS THAT I HAVE ONLY MET ONLINE BECAUSE OF OUR SIMILAR JOURNEYS OF LOSS. AND I HAVE TO JUST TELL YOU IT WAS SUCH A BLESSING TO ME. I FELT AS IF I HAD KNOWN THEM FOREVER... WE KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT EACH OTHER FROM READING EACH OTHERS STORIES... BUT IT WAS SUCH A DELIGHT TO ACTUALLY SIT ACROSS FROM THESE SWEET LADIES AND LOOK THEM IN THE EYES... NOT JUST AT THEIR PICTURES. I LOVED SEEING WHAT THEY WERE REALLY LIKE. I LOVED SHARING ABOUT OUR BOYS TOGETHER. EBE'S BOY, OWEN, WENT TO HEAVEN ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE SAMUEL, AND TONYA'S BOY, GRADY, WENT TO HEAVEN JUST 12 DAYS AFTER SAMUEL. WHEN JOJO AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT WHO WE WERE GOING TO STAY WITH IN GEORGIA, I EXPLAINED ABOUT THEIR LITTLE BOYS IN HEAVEN. RIGHT AWAY HE SAID SO JOYFULLY, "OH, I BET SAMUEL, GRADY AND OWEN ARE FRIENDS AND ARE PLAYING TOGETHER IN HEAVEN." THAT THOUGHT OF OUR BOYS IN HEAVEN TOGETHER DOES BRING ME JOY. I KNOW THEY DON'T NEED EACH OTHER, THEY HAVE GOD, BUT I LOVE THE THOUGHT OF THEM HAVING EACH OTHER.

I CAN'T DESCRIBE TO YOU THE FEELING I HAD WHEN I GAVE THESE WOMAN A HUG IN PERSON... I JUST FELT LIKE I WAS HUGGING MY SISTER. WE ARE SISTER'S IN CHRIST... BUT THIS MAY SOUND STRANGE BUT I THINK THERE IS KIND OF A SISTERHOOD IN THE SHARED THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH AND EXPERIENCED. I WAS OVERCOME WITH EMOTION DRIVING THERE JUST KNOWING THEY KNEW EXACTLY ALL I HAD BEEN THROUGH, THEY HAD BEEN THROUGH IT THEMSELVES, THE SHOCK, THE DEVASTATION, THE DELIVERY, THE TIME WITH OUR BOYS, THE SAYING GOODBYE HERE ON EARTH. IT WAS SO NICE TO BE WITH THEM KNOWING THEY TRULY UNDERSTAND. I REALLY MISS THEM ALREADY... I SO WISH WE LIVED CLOSER. PRAISE GOD FOR THE INTERNET... OK, I KNOW THAT SOUNDED STRANGE, THE INTERNET??? BUT REALLY I AM SO THANKFUL THAT I HAVE THEM IN MY LIFE. THEY GIVE ME SUCH SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT.

EBE IS DUE WITH HER PRECIOUS HANNAH MAE THIS MAY... WE ARE PRAYING FOR THAT SWEET LITTLE BLESSING. SHE AND HER HUSBAND ARE PLANNING ON MOVING TO ST. LOUIS.... I AM HOPING THEY WILL COME SOUTH FOR A GET AWAY ONCE THEY ARE IN OUR NECK OF THE WOODS. AND TONYA, YOU JUST HAVE TO COME VISIT ME TOO. I KNOW THAT MAY HAVE TO WAIT FOR A BIT:) BUT WE WILL HAVE TO PLAN ANOTHER TIME WHERE WE CAN SPEND MORE TIME TOGETHER:) WHEREVER THAT MAY BE, MAYBE EVEN MEETING IN THE MIDDLE.

I ARRIVED TO TONYA'S HOUSE ON TUESDAY AT AROUND 5 AND THEN LEFT WEDNESDAY MORNING. IT WAS QUICK... BUT SUCH A GIFT FROM GOD TO SPEND TIME WITH THEM... THEIR FRIENDSHIPS ARE A GIFT FROM GOD.... AND I FEEL BLESSED!