Soul Food

This past weekend I did something that feeds my soul for much more than 3 days.  I went to the beach with my sorority sisters.  Although we have known each other for over 20 years, this is our 4th year to gather at the beach.  We are in contact through a group text throughout the year but nothing tops our 3 days together.

This year didn't go as planned.  Life stuck it's ugly nose into our sanctuary.  One of the girls had to leave early to tend to her son who had been in an accident (he's on the road to recovery).  It changed the tone of the weekend. We were worried for Rachel and her son. I know I was anxious about my own boys - they were on a rafting trip in Colorado at the same time.  Actually, these year I think we all had something to be anxious about.

Even with the emergency, I wouldn't trade our time together.  We are able to speak truth to one another.  Almost as importantly, we can receive truth from one another.  It's not easy to hear but we know it comes from a place of love.

We don't judge each other.  We have differing parenting styles and occupations and marital statuses.  None of that matters.  We ask questions and learn about our differences so we can understand each other better.

We bring way too much food and then we eat way too much food.  The food is an act of love.  Let me prepare my speciality for you.  Let me serve you.

We don't do much of anything.  We sit on the beach and hash out our problems.  We sit at the kitchen table and hash out our problems.  We watch movies.  This year we tried to learn to play hearts.  I am the most magnificent loser of hearts there every was!

We laugh.  We laugh about new things.  We laugh and remember old things.  There's a lot of "do you remember when...?"

It's hard to explain the importance of my time with these women.  They fill me up.  They love on me and send me back in to the world a better person.  I hope I do the same for them!