The older I get, the more I treasure my friendships. Being in a state with no family and a single mom at that, my friendships give my life the connection that it needs, that we all need.
My dear friend Melanie is one of them. I met her years ago when she came out and did worship for a the kick-start of a Bible study on a weekday morning at Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, a church I often did Bible Studies at. I had signed up to do a Precept study on the wonderful (and my all-time fave) book of Romans with a friend. I filled my plate with the offered refreshments and sat down to hear the announcements. Then out came Melanie, she was so filled with God's love and warmth as she lead us into worship. She began to share about the importance of worship and how her husband had died on stage worshipping the Lord. I don't remember anything else about that morning except thinking that I loved Melanie, just instantly loved her and her beautiful heart.
I'm not sure of the exact timeframe, but many, many months later I found myself starting a new job at Apple. This was a huge deal for me in the first place, another God-story for sure, but one evening I was talking to one of my new co-workers, sharing a little about ourselves and this young man named Michael told me that his dad had died on stage worshipping the Lord. My mind immediately remembered Melanie and I gushed at him "Does your mom go to Cornerstone?!!" and when he affirmed that yes, she did I told him I needed to meet her, that I loved her. I'm glad he did not look at me like I was a crazy-person! He may have thought it, but his expression did not let on if he did. So that began the start of our friendship. Michael gave me Melanie's number and we got in touch and met for coffee. She's been a widow for 15 years and is a testimony of God's provision and love. I knew that our meeting was not coincidence.
She is a music teacher, teaches voice and piano lessons and continues to lead worship. We share a love for God, music, prayer, our boy(s), movies, and people. We saw "The Greatest Showman" twice together and both said we could even go back to the sing-along version, but instead I bought it on DVD so I can sing-along in the privacy of my own space and when my boys are not around (!).
I always have fun on an outing with Melanie, whether it is meeting up for a meal, a glass of wine, seeing her son's band or daughter-in-law, or a meal at Taco Bell. She has a big heart and is an overcomer. She inspires me and is a testament of God's provision. Recently she was in a car accident where her car was totaled. She had to recover from the physical pain of the accident and also figure out how to work out her limited budget with a replacement vehicle. The Lord provided another car for her that works amazingly well with her finances and she gives the credit to Him. He takes care of her.
That Romans study was a life-changer for me in more ways than one. It was video-taught by Wayne Barber and I've never tried to write as fast as I did in trying to take notes on his insights and chewing on the meanings of the Book of Romans was the biggest breathe of fresh air I have ever tasted in a Bible study. So try to take time for friendships, I know it isn't easy. I wish I could pack more friendship-time into my schedule because I have lots of amazing friends, but busyness, chronic pain, and poor time management sometimes keep that from being a priority. It is never time not well spent when making time for a friend. I am thankful today for Melanie, a friend God knew I needed.
