I've got a friend. And she's not like my usual friends. She's a mom of 3 and older than me. But she's one of, if not the greatest friend I have. Her name is Brandi. Just tonight we were talking a little about how we've both been at the same church for about 4 years, but never met or knew each other (which is odd because our church is incredibly small. Just around 100 people) until about 8 months ago when I found out that she and her husband were involved in the youth program. It breaks my heart that I've only been close with her for just a little while, and in a few short weeks, I'll be moving to the opposite side of the country. Though she reassures me often that all the distance doesn't mean that our relationship is over, I know for a fact that things will be very different. Because she won't live 2 minutes away from me, and we won't be able to go to coffee at the Starbucks by Stater Bros, and I won't see her 4 or 5 times a week for Bible Study, church, and spontaneous shopping sprees for bathing suits. It makes me so sad, and the words I'm typing are growing blurry by the tears starting to fill my eyes, but I figure I should tell you a little bit of why she means so much to me. Here are a couple reasons why I love Brandi so much...
1. She loves kids. But not little kids. Well, I'm not sure. But mostly Middle and High school kids. She is majorly aware of what today's youth go through and is always looking for ways to be an active part in their lives.
2. She's not a big kid. I see a big difference between someone who gets along with kids better than adults, is able to carry on a conversation with them, and have fun with them, and someone who is immature, trying to relive their high school years later on in life, and ignore adult responsibility to be a child. She has fun, enjoys kids, enjoys helping kids, and loves to be around them. But she is also able to be serious, concerned, and give great advice that is truly from a smart adult perspective but able to be applied to a young high school student's life.
3. She is genuinely concerned about any/everything you are going through. Whether or not it's valid, silly, intense, life-threatening, or whatever. Nothing is unimportant if it's a problem in your life. And I love that about her.
4. The last and final thing is that she shares the same point of view on something that is very near and dear to my heart. And that is not judging people. One night, she sent me a message saying that she does not judge, because God forgave her and did not judge her for her life's mistakes, and it's not her place, or purpose, to judge other people. She then went on to quote to me my life verse which is Matthew 7:1 and 2, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
So yeah. I felt lead to share this because I really feel that there needs to be more people in the world like Brandi. Not only people who don't judge (or at least try not to, because it's really hard not to judge people all the time), but people who are concerned about youth and what they have to deal with. People are so ignorant now-a-days to what kids have to deal with that it takes a 15 year old boy committing suicide by hanging himself for people to realize that they should have been more aware and concerned and involved in what he was going through. I'll write another post about teen suicides soon, but for now, we should all try to be more aware and concerned, and NON-judgemental.
Until the sun shines over the beautiful Coachella Valley mountains,
1. She loves kids. But not little kids. Well, I'm not sure. But mostly Middle and High school kids. She is majorly aware of what today's youth go through and is always looking for ways to be an active part in their lives.
2. She's not a big kid. I see a big difference between someone who gets along with kids better than adults, is able to carry on a conversation with them, and have fun with them, and someone who is immature, trying to relive their high school years later on in life, and ignore adult responsibility to be a child. She has fun, enjoys kids, enjoys helping kids, and loves to be around them. But she is also able to be serious, concerned, and give great advice that is truly from a smart adult perspective but able to be applied to a young high school student's life.
3. She is genuinely concerned about any/everything you are going through. Whether or not it's valid, silly, intense, life-threatening, or whatever. Nothing is unimportant if it's a problem in your life. And I love that about her.
4. The last and final thing is that she shares the same point of view on something that is very near and dear to my heart. And that is not judging people. One night, she sent me a message saying that she does not judge, because God forgave her and did not judge her for her life's mistakes, and it's not her place, or purpose, to judge other people. She then went on to quote to me my life verse which is Matthew 7:1 and 2, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
So yeah. I felt lead to share this because I really feel that there needs to be more people in the world like Brandi. Not only people who don't judge (or at least try not to, because it's really hard not to judge people all the time), but people who are concerned about youth and what they have to deal with. People are so ignorant now-a-days to what kids have to deal with that it takes a 15 year old boy committing suicide by hanging himself for people to realize that they should have been more aware and concerned and involved in what he was going through. I'll write another post about teen suicides soon, but for now, we should all try to be more aware and concerned, and NON-judgemental.
Until the sun shines over the beautiful Coachella Valley mountains,
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