Making New Friends

Last night I had so much fun!
A friend I was blessed with meeting through my work recently invited my husband and myself into her circle of friends. Last night some of those friends, one of the most gracious families I have ever met, opened their home for a potluck dinner party to celebrate the birthdays of two friends. My husband and I attended and had such a nice time there.
I have never met a group so open, caring, and generous hearted as this group.
First I met the women
This group of women that I now have been lucky enough to become a part of, get together on a regular basis to share their lives and to just enjoy each other. It is a rare group. We are all happily married and without fail all appreciate the love our husbands give us. Some of the women are young newlyweds, some young with small children, some are grandmothers, and I fall kind of somewhere in between. I have never met a better example of what it means to be Christian. Loving, open, non-judgmental are the best terms I can come up with to describe these new friends.
These women are smart, funny, and the most unpretentious lot I have ever met.
I do not attend the church that most of them attend and yet on Sunday's after church I will often meet up with a couple of the families at a fast food restaurant to spend an hour breaking bread with them. I watch their children play happily and enjoy... and appreciate the good active parenting they exemplify. It gives you the kind of peace that is never boring.
Just knowing people like this exist in the world makes it a better place to be. In addition to being kind, these women are intelligent, and active in life.
I think I had started to be a "side line sitter" in life. If I hang out with this group this will never happen!
A great thing happened last night. My husband met the husbands of this new group of friends and he enjoyed their company very much. I am so glad to see him fit in so easily and so well. The group of men, like their wives, are just as exceptionally open and likable (lovable) as their wives. You might think these men might be "wimpy guys" as many family guys are stereotyped. They are not, these are true men, the kind that stand up for their families. There is nothing "unmanly" about them. They are the type of men all parents would want their sons to become. They are strong, kind men, and without fail good husbands.
So, back to the great time I had last night. I enjoyed conversation with my new friends, watched charming, well behaved children play together, all while the family cat sat in my lap. It just doesn't get better than this! Of course there was the addition of great food...that is always the icing on the cake!
My prayer for tonight...Just gratitude. Thankfulness for all the gifts placed before me!