The Gift of Friends

Doesn't this look like the best group of friends in the world to hang out with? Well, we thought so. My grandpa is filling in, as a business manager, for Wisconsin academy this year and our family decided to spend Christmas there with my grandparents. When we were walking towards the academy church on Sabbath morning I told Cherie, "I wonder if we'll find anyone here we know. We usually run into someone that’s familiar." Sure enough we did, and what a blessing it was! (From left to right: Me, Rachel, Sarah, Cherie, and Nick). One evening, Nick, Rachel, Cherie and I were invited to chill at Sarah’s house. Nick drove the family van and we started out on our short trip to the house. Armed with Map Quest directions, we knew we wouldn’t have any trouble finding our way. As it turned out, that wasn’t the case. We were lost for about a half-hour, but we finally made it and the quality time we had together on the way was well worth the detour. After we stepped inside the house, we enjoyed a blazing fireplace and acquainted ourselves with the cozy surroundings. Then, we settled into the living room and found ourselves spending the entire time engaging in great conversations, forgetting all about the large tower of board games sitting by the couch that we could have played. It was such a meaningful experience and I believe it’s true that the art of conversation seems to have been lost among the fast-paced shallowness that surrounds us all. None of us knew we'd be together for Christmas but it definitely spiced up our vacation and added some extra warmth we weren't expecting.