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24 Days of Thankfulness: Day 8

The first time we visited campus for preview weekend we toured the apartment building where we would be living. I could have cried (I might have, can't remember). It simply was not what I was expecting. It was small and felt cramped and I couldn't imagine it being home. That first visit I had my eye on a different building. One setting on the street corner near the middle of campus with a cute little playground out back. Benches flanked the playground and moms sat talking watching their children play. I even took a picture of it!

That building is now my building. When God blessed us with Ryland, He also blessed us with the opportunity to move to a bigger apartment. We have absolutely loved living here. Here we have the room for a school room, somewhere to store the dishwasher, a private balcony where I can grow my plants, and double the living space of our old apartment. We also have a playground right outside our door and now I'm one of those moms hanging out on the bench. I'm very thankful for that playground!

Of course my children love going out to the playground to climb and slide and run and get dirty and I love the fact that they can wear themselves out on it but I think I'm most thankful for the fellowship I've found out there. I'm not the *most* outgoing person in the world (an understatement if there ever was one) and if it were up to me I probably wouldn't get out much but because my children beg and beg to go outside to the playground, I've been forced to suck it up and talk to people I don't know. Being on a seminary campus has made it even easier because you get to use the same "interview questions" each time you meet someone new: "So, where are you from? How old are your kids?" and so on and so forth. If there's any chemistry there between you and that person then the conversation evolves, if not it's not so awkward. = )

Thankfully, I've gotten to meet and know a lot of moms and have gotten past the "interview" stage. Some of us have moved into the stage where we're completely comfortable talking about everything from our kids' poop to day-to-day frustrations to life-altering revelations. Sometimes we talk about what we're making for dinner; sometimes we talk about our husbands (shhh! don't tell them!); sometimes we talk about fears and disappointments; sometimes we rejoice with each other over successes like potty training and homeschooling; sometimes we just vent. These things--they are at the heart of a woman, and I'm so thankful we've found a place that feels safe to open up our hearts. And that is called sisterhood. 

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25


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