Inspiring Friends

After a busy day of home school, processing apples, and dealing with a fussy teether, I escaped to the river. The sky was pure blue and the sun was shining. Because of the water being transparent, aquatic plant and animal life could be observed in an almost breath taking manner. I watched a little fish swimming, marveled in a forest of underwater growth and sighed in ecstasy. Feeling so inspired, I began to think about the things and people who inspire me. I have a lot of cool friends. So many of the people that I hang around with have the ability to inspire me.
Take my friend "Forest Forager" for example. She's a cool mom who home schools her big brood. Her kids are mega educated and they eat ultra healthy! She's kind of like a super model for womanly virtue. She and her family just learned a cool new skill. They are going out into the lakes and harvesting wild rice. Then they work together to process it. Any time that I have a home school question, she's only a phone call away.
Then there's my friend, Goat Girl. She hates gossip. Say you're with a bunch of gals and Goat Girl is there. You're chatting about silly things. Then somebody brings up the neighbor and their problem. She'll tell us something like "maybe you should be spending more time praying for them and less time gossiping about them." Whoever was talking puts their head down totally humbled. I know better than to even gossip with good intentions around her. It sounds harsh, but its been really good for me. Consequently, she's somebody I can count on that will never talk behind my back.
Goat Girl has a Mega Green Thumb. She's hands down the best gardner I know. The other day she asked me why I had fruit on trays in my window. I lamented to her that the plums I picked just wouldn't soften. She picked one up, studied it and smiled. "That's because they're crab apples" she informed me. Yeah, I'm that domestically challenged. Good thing I have people like her around!!
Even my daughter is pretty virtuous. When I left home, I didn't know how to fry hamburger. I survived on Kraft mac n' cheese, fast food and breakfast cereal. Dishes sat in my sink for a week or more until my boyfriend's mom would stop by for a visit. She'd wash them, then a few weeks later, she'd find another disaster. Yeah, not the kind of material you hope for in a daughter in law. Anyway, my daughter is incredible. She can cook pretty much anything. She can do any house hold chores. She can manage the baby. She can balance school along with all of that. She is, by the way, an incredible student. She's the child who, at age 4, begged me to teach her to read. She taught herself phonics from a children's toy. Her school assignments are impeccable. Yeah, you guessed it, I cheated my way through school. My daughter never ceases to impress and amaze me. In her free time, she has organized her own ministry outreaches, is teaching herself to play the guitar, reads and does other research on the Internet.
Later on that evening, my husband took me to a beautiful spot over looking some mountains and we watched the sunset together. It was such a memorable experience. He gave me just a small glimpse into his world and I saw a side of him that I haven't seen for a long time. I was reminded what an incredible man that he really is. Rather than pursue money or other pleasures, he has chosen to focus on being a good father and husband. Despite being a brilliant man who has succeeded in many areas, he's given up many opportunities to stay true to what he believes in. He's the most solid, dependable, faithful person I've ever met. Yet, in an instant, he will change if he feels that God is leading him in a different direction. In today's world where so many men have fallen short in character and morals, my husband is a man of strength, steadfast, and honor.
Today, remember the friends and family who inspire you and celebrate their qualities and strengths. Embrace the Gift of God in them and grow.

Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.