See you have to understand my study formed in the Fall of 2003 with 15 girls all single and working in the city. We were the renegade study as we deemed ourselves because we formed it outside of our church but we all attended together. We met the first night at a cute Italian place in DuPont circle and me being the ever on schedule girl began to get anxious as no one was arriving. I was already settled I was not happy with this study and I missed my girls in Texas. Soon Suzy came around the corner and greeted me with one of the warmest smiles and apologies for being late, within minutes ladies started pouring in and we were seated at a long table trying to meet everyone. I ended up on the end with the other youngin at the table Deb O. We had a great night of fellowship and I soon learned these ladies would be a life saver for me. Since Deb O and I were the babies in the group the ladies were very quick to take us under their wings and care for us. Many times when I could not afford to eat one would take me out to dinner, or swing by lunch to me at work. I had a standing invitation to just about all of their homes for meals whenever I needed it and a place to crash if I ever got stuck with long hours in the city.
These ladies sacrificed to make me feel at home. They let me spend holidays with them. I was able to attend special occasions with their families, and then they started to get married. It was joyous how our group started with only one married gal and one gal dating someone and now over half are married and have kids! One specific thing I remember so clearly is at one point in my job I had a week where I was SO crazy I literally wore holes in the bottom of my shoes from the amount of walking I did. I had told Jenn about this when she called me one day in the office to check in on me. Next thing I new they had dropped off new shoes to me so that I could keep working and not get my feet soaked since it was raining outside. There are SO many stories I could tell of praise to these women this is just one.
I can remember specifically the times ladies would enter our group for prayer request and start to talk seriously or not so seriously about a boy, and the next thing I knew we were attending their weddings. As our lives changed so did our group slowly some ladies slipped out and we added new ones in, and did life together with them. So last night we honored Jenn, (she and I are the final two from the original group) she is having a little girl in just a few months and we gathered together all the ladies we could from the bible study over the years that lived here in town. And as we were sitting there talking I just looked around the room at the ladies who have shaped my life here in DC. They have prayed for me, rallied around me, encouraged me and supported me through some of the hardest times in my life. I know if I even need something these ladies are the ones I will call. They took me as a scared gal straight out of college intimidated by the city and everything it held and turned me into a Godly woman who can live out her faith in the work place. I owe a lot to these ladies and they may never know how much they mean to me. Each one holds a very dear space in my heart and I am so blessed to know them and so excited to see where God will take us all in the future.
Diaper Cake Candice made... (all week I thought it was going to be something edible) 
Jenn comes in very surprised! 
Gals from the original group! Jenn, Me, Jess, and Amanda
Ladies in the Current Study(Jeanie, Beth, Jodi, Michelle, Jenn, Me, Kelli, Suzanne)
1 comment:
SO glad to see you posting again! :) What a great group of friends. The first week I moved here to Huntsville I found a great group of moms...as you do, I feel so blessed!
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