Last night I couldn't stand it one more minute. I had to call in reinforcements. Unfortunately, local reinforcements have been few and far between, but I called in an emotional reinforcement.
She can't do much, being states away, working crazy hours between her ministry and her role as an FRG leader to the wives in her husband's unit, and being pregnant and exhausted doesn't help either, but she found a way to pitch in in a pinch. So tonight, Miss Kaitlin is my guest blogger. The following words are hers. I hope they touch your heart and mind and remind you of a friend to whom you can cry, scream, throwing a rolling on the floor fit and they won't judge, just drop down and join you.
She can't do much, being states away, working crazy hours between her ministry and her role as an FRG leader to the wives in her husband's unit, and being pregnant and exhausted doesn't help either, but she found a way to pitch in in a pinch. So tonight, Miss Kaitlin is my guest blogger. The following words are hers. I hope they touch your heart and mind and remind you of a friend to whom you can cry, scream, throwing a rolling on the floor fit and they won't judge, just drop down and join you.
Do you remember finals' week? You act responsibly, only studying and living off of coffee and the adrenaline of good-night kisses at 3 a.m. Despite the hours of sleep we catch, you still wake up tired and in a stupor. What got you through it? For me it was my friends and my study group. "Shared suck" is a great unity creator. remember when we all shared notes and quizzed each other before the test? Why don't we do that as grown-ups?
I taught my kids that cheating and plagiarism was bad just to see it running rampant in the workplace where we spend thousands to retrain us to work collaboratively. If we don't do it right we get sued or fired. Hm.
This week is a "finals week." Illness, work, pregnancy, and the weather have conspired against me, and my Superhero cape is at the cleaners. My phone rang tonight and I decided to answer despite the fact that it wasn't my deployed husband. It was a dear friend that lives states away; Jenna.
As we talked for a few minutes not one second went by without Allyson shrieking or hanging up the phone on me. I have learned something along the way: to show someone you love them, you have to climb in the "This-sucks-boat" and start rowing.
I learned a few things in Child Psych, Sociology, history, and the dorms: humans need to be surrounded by each other and to work toward a common goal. This is why strangers wearing the same football team's shirt can become best buddies in a bar while watching the game- common goal.
Who helps you meet your goals?
Who in your life was your battle buddy during tough times? When I started teaching, Jen was mine. I watched Jen train and run an half-marathon. I felt like we had accomplished something together. Yell encouragement for 13 miles...really. It's hard. Not running a marathon hard, however. I lucked out in that deal.
One neighbor of mine (fellow Texan) walked a mile with me and the dog and then went to the commissary with me so that she could carry the heavy items up the stairs with me. I tell you, this changed my entire day. Several friends had offered comments like "You look so tired! I hope you rest- it gets worse! (I am 6 months pregnant)" or "Oh, do you need prayer?" (YES! Always!) but the difference was made by the girl who gave me 2 hours of her day. When her hubby leaves for training or when her truck needs a jump-start again, you'd better believe I will be there instantly. This is not due to reciprocity or social contracts...it is because this girl left Bible Study and lived out love when she saw me walk into a wall out of exhaustion. She rowed with me in the this-sucks-boat.
Flashing back to a Texas A&M dorm room filled with the smell of microwave popcorn, countless girls came and went crying over something. I was the Resident Advisor.
Ladies, how many hours have you spent with friends crying together or listening to tears? I submit that you showed great love. How many times have you come running for your kid or someone who needed help right then? Thousands? I believe women were made to be sisters-in-arms, raisers of one another's children, and the fiercest of advocates. I couldn't do much for Jen tonight, but I listened to her kid cry. Close enough. A large thank you to Jen and all those who, when the tests of life came up, leaned over and said, "I'm right here, and when I took the test the answer to 23 was C." While I do not advise or encourage cheating or plagiarism, I do know that we wouldn't be where we are or who we are without the people who helped us muddle through life's challenges and just came running as we cried.
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