Strong Women

On my way home from the leadership event (Movement. I like it) last night, for some reason God put on my heart how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many influential, positive people. More specifically, I got to thinking about how blessed I am by the women that He has put into my life in the past couple months. And I don't know if this is going to be weird or awkward to read, but I really started laying it out in my head how each of these women have positively affected me and my attitude and my outlook in the past several weeks alone. I feel like most, if not all of them, read my blog or come across it at some point and they deserve to know that I admire them for who they are and who they're trying to be. It might not be much coming from a 19 year old, but I think it's important and God put it on my heart at a really random moment when it's the last thing I could have been thinking about.

Growing up, I've had several strong (almost stubborn) women in my life. But there's never been anyone in my family that I would say is necessarily Godly. At times, it's even hard for me to say that my mom or dad are Christians. I just don't know. And our family doesn't talk about it. So being able to be poured into every now and then by these women is so essential to me. Especially at this point in my life where I wake up and go to sleep almost every day utterly confused, trying to figure myself out. The truth is that I don't know very much at all about any of these 3 women, but I know that they love and encourage and speak hope to those around them.

Anita: You have been such an amazing example of what a patient, kind, loving mother is. Your daughters are beautiful, and they already have huge personalities that people are drawn to. Your love for your family is amazing. I think it's so funny that you guys haven't been here very long, but all four of you fit right in. All of you have so much to teach us, and I'm thankful that you can trust me to watch your daughters and hopefully teach them a little bit, too. I hope that you're feeling at home here in Charlotte.

Ferris: I feel like I'm always running up to you going "Hey Ferris you're awesome! Hey Ferris you're amazing! Hey Ferris let's be friends!" I'm glad you're okay with that. I think you're such a cool person, and your personality, your perspective and your age makes you completely approachable for a lot of different things. I'm so excited for you as you move into this next HUGE season in your life, and I know you are, too.

Kelly: We share a name and apparently a lot of personality traits. When we were talking on Sunday, after almost every sentence you said I ended up thinking "Wow. This is exactly the way that I feel all the time" and it's really comforting for me to see someone as amazing as you come through a situation that's so similar to mine. Your daughters are beyond beautiful, and they almost literally light up any room they enter. You've given them so much love so that they can give it to others as well. Your encouragement in the past couple weeks has been so helpful to me, and your willingness to talk to me and pour into me makes me feel completely safe and at home in this community of believers. I look forward to seeing you every Sunday morning.


I just hope that I would be able to pour encouragement back into the 3 of your lives the way you guys do for me. My life is constantly changed by women like you. You're helping me grow up.