Friends

     Proverb 18:24 "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly:

  and there is a friend that sticketh closer then a brother." 

While trying to set up a coffee date with some friends we bantered back and forth via 3 way text, I was and continue to be completely amazed and thankful for my friends. I've been blessed in my life to have an abundance. My first and dearest friends are my two cousins, Rhonda and Kelly. We were raised as sisters and although we had years in between where we were raising our kids that we didn't really stay in touch, we have reconnected and picked up right where we left off. Through thick and thin I'm blessed to have them to lean on.

                  Us as kids back in the day and then in 2010 at what has become an annual cousins reunion

 I have childhood friends that I've been able to reconnect with on FB. My very first BFF Rhoda and her sister Michelle. School mates, Colleen and Karen. I was very fortunate to have a friend back home that taught me the bulk of what I know about cake decorating. To Gayle, I will forever be grateful. We still talk from time to time. Then there was sweet Lynn. Our husbands had grown up together and were hauling grain together and can I say we pulled some cRAZy stunts. We also use to drink Blue Nun together, remember Lynn? We recently were able to spend a few hours together and it was great. FB allows us to stay close and share our grand kids pics.

Here in the city of Gonzales, where I now call home, there are countless that have come, gone and remain. From the trailer park where our life here began to the subdivision where we raised our kids. My friend Pam who was a huge help to me during the time I was expecting Kandace and was put to bed for 3 months, and in the midst of almost loosing Kandace when she was 2 weeks old. Having two young kids herself, she gave selflessly to help me. My friend Gwenda who was, and still is an awesome inspiration to me spiritually. My dearest friends Susan and Joany, with whom I spent countless hours. We raised our babies together, crafted together, trashed our husbands together, solved each others problems, cooked, laughed and cried together. It was a most awesome time of my life that I still to this day look back upon with the fondest of memories and sometimes want to go back.....

My amazing friend Kristy. What can I tell you about her? One of the strongest women I know, and wisest. She's always, always been my confidant. The person I tell all my secrets to. She has always listened intently and given advice where needed, not condoning but also not judging. What kind of value can you place on a friend such as she? To this day the bond that we share is unbreakable. We don't talk everyday, but when we do we pick up where we left off. Having gone through many difficult things herself, she has always given of herself freely (after I forced her to be my friend lol) and for this I am ever grateful to her. Theresa, my daughter Danica's best friends mom. Got that? We became friends through our kids. Our girls were involved in band and we met at an honor band back in the mid 90's and have been friends since. Praying our kids through school, life and into Tigerband at LSU. I might add that we are still friends, confidants, baring our souls to one another, praying for each other, laughing and crying together. A friend in need is a friend indeed

 My friend Donna who I looked at like she was my rock. Our relationship was so incredible that I can't even put into words...I miss her. And then Michelle, who I wasn't to keen on when I first met her. Sometimes these turn into the best of friends. We spent more time together then the average friends because we worked together, churched together and partied together.....we were together A LOT. We were more like sisters. I was the bossy one and she was the creative mind.

 I have an amazing friend named Penny. We met through WW. She was my leader and then I eventually worked with her. We just easily fell into the roll of friends. She was the wildest, craziest, funniest woman. She could lift my spirits with a smile and one of her amazing hugs. She has since moved to another state and I miss her terribly. And the lady I call boss, Angela. It's hard to call her boss, I rather call her friend. She is a breath of fresh air from Florida. Imagine that? I'm friends with a gator fan. B did always say I fratted with the enemy. Well if you have the privilege to meet her you'll understand. An overworked, over tired mommy of a new baby who tosses her head back and laughs the most heart warming sound I've heard in a long time . You gotta love a person that hugs you on your first meeting, right? My cousin Lynette...well she is married to my cousin but she is like blood to me. In the last 3 years we've formed a bond and on this very day it was sealed and will never be broken  And how about the friends I've met through blogging and caking? Well I haven't actually met them, but we are friends. My dearest Meme.....what an impact you've made on my life, and we've never met. We certainly have a strong bond. 

My newest friend Lizzy who has a little cake shop in Arizona and we've been talking cakes. And then there are the people I go to church with....my Alicia, my Rachel, my Kimmie, Kristy, Christina, Tiffany, and my newest buddy, Stacy and on and on and on.....my church is huge and so many of those ladies, and men, have impacted my life, made me feel loved, wanted, needed, important...in the end isn't that what friendship is about? I came from a church of less then 100 and was usually the last to leave, to a church of near 1000 and I'm still close to being last leaving. I love people. My thoughts are that you can never have enough friends. For you see in the journey we call life, time doesn't stand still. Things change. People come and go. There are forever friends and then there are those that just drift through your life just to add something to it. I'm appreciative of all of them...of what they've added, great or small. For you see they are the ones that have help mold me into me. 

Take care of you

Karen