The Greatest of all gifts is the gift of each other

Several weeks ago, my friend Julie reached out and asked if I knew of any cool things she and her husband Andres might want to check out if they stayed an extra day in Richmond after the marathon this year. I not-so-jokingly told her I'd think of something, but only if I could go with them.

(I am NOT ashamed of being a self-invited third wheel!!)

Someone knew I needed to tell that joke. Someone knew Julie needed to take me up on being that third wheel.

We spent yesterday together driving to Virginia Beach. It was the perfect conclusion to a weekend of each others in my life.

I had breakfast with friends Friday. I thought we were going to get kicked out of Rise and Shine; we were rising and shining a little louder and brighter than makes most people comfortable that early.

I spent all day Saturday running a marathon with my friend Tiffany - while being encouraged and cheered on by friends from all over the country.

Sunday, I went to church with friends, stepping foot into a church for the first time since the pandemic began. The pastor 'coincidentally' made this point: we need to come to know Jesus by reading our bible, but don't forget how powerfully we can come to know and feel Jesus through each other.

It was an emotional weekend. Catching up with friends I hadn't seen in a long time. Missing people who weren't there. By yesterday, I was emotionally and physically drained. And I was definitely not ready to head back to work.

Enter the Bravos....

I'm not entirely sure how we came up with Virginia Beach. I have no idea how we ended up at a statue of King Neptune (nor do I still have much idea who he is/was). I only know this. We could have been anywhere in Virginia yesterday and the day would have been healing. We could have been anywhere and I would have believed I was where and with whom I needed to be.

I've come to believe something lately. We have these circles of relationships in our lives. There are circles that are out there a bit - circles full of people with whom you can talk about the easy stuff in life. Then there are circles that close in on you. Circles of people with whom you can talk about the hardest stuff.

Circles where healing takes place.

I believe we need all the circles - there are no meaningless relationships. But I believe this, too. The closer those circles get, we don't choose those people. Those people choose each other. We don't randomly decide you're someone I can tell the hard stuff to; instead, you find yourself eating pancakes one day and realize you just can't leave the hard stuff out.

I don't know how that happens, really, but I've discovered we need those people in our lives.

When we left the pancake place yesterday, a woman showed up to meet Andres. She hadn't seen him in nearly a decade. She worked for him back in San Diego all those years ago, and treasured him as a supervisor.

She now lived nearby, and when she heard we were visiting King Neptune 🤷‍♂️- she dropped everything she was doing to come say hello. As I stood there listening to them catch up - I reflected on that pastor talking about the power of our connections. I thought about my circles; how many people do I have in that circle of people who would drop everything they are doing to come say hello after ten years?

I thought - what a gift that was. That gift of each other that Andres' friend clearly never stopped seeing as a gift.

As I dropped Julie and Andres off at their hotel yesterday, I was grateful for the gift they are to me. I was grateful for where they are in my circles.

I was reminded that of all the gifts we chase in this world, there is no greater gift than the gift of each other.