Around Here: Wedding Edition

In the past 3 years I have hit the jackpot. Though at times this jackpot has been a little stressful, heartbreaking and overwhelming; it has been an investment that has been returned 10 fold. I have been leading a college girls small group that has quite possibly changed my life. They have affected my fashion sense first and foremost ;) They have taught me about humility and depth and laughter. They have shown me friendship and honesty. They are a part of who I am and always will be. Saying goodbye to girls sometimes is a part of this type of thing and gaining new ones is part of the growing and stretching process. Though I know that I did about 1000 things wrong as a leader to them in the past few years, there is one thing I could not have messed up no matter how hard I tried: the friendships.These girls bonded with each other and with me in ways I would have never imagined. Somehow I have been lucky enough to walk beside them as they faced great battles, overcome unthinkable obstacles, celebrated life and loss. I have watched them move across the country and the across the world. I have watched them grow and become more and more Godly women. I have been loved by them.  I have been challenged by them. I have been blessed by them. And when I say I watched their lives change and saw them grow, I mean it. Somehow I have attended 3 weddings and seen a pregnancy announcement in just the past year. I sat at the last wedding with them this weekend and couldn't quite take it all in. How surreal this journey has been. How deep the impact has been on their life and mine. Never again will I be able to recreate what I've had the past few years and nor would I want to. But it has prepared me for the next journey. The next group. The new friendships. Though some of these girls will remain in my life always, they will all forever remain in the story of who I am and who I will become.You can read more about my small group experiences here.