We Bought a Farm: Blessings

The Lord brought a dear friend to me on the farm. She spent a week here, and I am grieving her departure tomorrow. She didn't have much money, and she didn't necessarily have anything tangible to give me, but the blessings she bestowed upon me were so enormous.

• She cleaned out my camper and then said, "Doesn't it feel good to sit in here now?"
• She helped the girls organize their bedroom and I said, "Wow, it feels so good to be in here."
• She helped the boys sort and store Legos and they said, "There's so much room to play in here now."
• She took two night to go away with me and let me just have some girl time with no kiddos.
• She helped my cousins move into their house and gave up half a day to help them organize.
• She built two bookshelves. The boxes had been sitting against a wall, begging to be put together, and she did so long after I had gone to sleep for the night.
• She read to my kids while I fell asleep at 6:30pm and slept through the night.
• She scooted everyone out of my bedroom and locked the door when another crippling migraine left me really needing a nap.
• She read my girls' the whole book Anne of Green Gables. 
• She ran many errands for me in town so that I didn't have to do them!
• She drove with me to another city to pray for and with a dear friend who is fighting for his life.
• She spent the night at the home of a family she did not know when an emergency required her presence. 

I'm reminded me of what a TRUE friend is. What Jesus calls us to be. You don't have to have a lot of money or a lot of things to be a GREAT BIG BLESSING in peoples' lives. All you need is a willing heart, some time, and a willingness to be used.

I hope in exchange I gave her something. I hope I gave her the fireflies and the stars and the meeting of good ol' country neighbors and Dairy Queen and a lack of city noises and the not-so-quiet chaos of four children and a whole lot of animals. 

Thank you dear friend. You occupy an incredibly precious place in my heart, and you truly are my sister.