a little love for the ladies

**Disclaimer: I am TUI--typing while under the influence (of pain-killers)

I have been praying for the women in my life...all of them. We have so much to learn from each other and and give each other through our experiences and unique way of being able to connect and communicate. I guess with all the stress and pressures and obligations and judgement heaped upon us as women and moms, I shouldn't be surprised that we all sometimes act in ways that we're less than proud of. My prayer is that we can see each other as fellow women who have many of the same struggles and have empathy rather than judgement, see goodness rather than malice (very few people do things out of meanness), and give each other the benefit of the doubt.

Verses on my mind...
1) The book of Ruth

2) "But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you" Matthew 5:44

3) "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me." Matthew 25:45

[ETA: I have had to fix the numbers above twice! I am really feeling loopy--going to bed now]


I am so grateful to the following women and so many more...

*my mom for...oh my, where to start... if I can be half the mom she is I will be very proud. She did so much with so little. I admire her in so many ways!
*my mother-in-law...she never makes me feel obligated to go anywhere on Christmas, she is so generous and shows her love through acts of service--the lady never sits down!
*my grandmother...she is amazing at always seeing the goodness in people-a personal goal of mine is to be more like her in this way. She is always supportive of my dreams.
*Heather Coleman...It's so great to be around a person who is always upbeat and genuine.
*Meredith Braaten...I just had surgery, and she made my dinner tonight, how nice is that?
*Leslie Newman...She is always smiling and laughing--a joy to be with, but she is the kind of person who would be there for you through a difficult time...not just a fair weather friend.
*my Mom to Mom friends...I am so grateful for the parenting advice and friendships, and the meal help after I had Kyle. I enjoy their company so much, I drive an hour to see them each week.
*Emma...I am grateful that even though we're separated by distance, we can pick up where we left off every so often and know that we always have a good friend in each other.