Love... isn’t this all we really need?

Each day I know that my heart is seeking to be loved and to give love...
And yesterday, I saw love within the hearts of a few teenagers coming together for their annual Friendsgiving...

Friendsgiving may have been different this year, as it was moved to the garage with the doors open, HEPA filters on, and social distancing in tact, but the love within the room didn’t change...

Friendsgiving my have been different as numbers were limited and some friends couldn’t attend, due to quarantining or being cautious, as our numbers rise, but the love within the room didn’t change...

My mama heart was filled this Friendsgiving, more than other years, as their laughter filled the space...

As the girls sat around stuffing themselves with a Thanksgiving feast, I could feel the sense of normalcy fill the room and they could finally exhale.

It has been months since these girls have felt anything but normal and to share a meal together, while giving thanks, was more meaningful than previous years...

The crisp air may have filled their lungs this year, rather than the warmth of being inside our home, but the love within the room didn’t change.

Their pure laughter, filled up the garage with childlike bliss. These are young women teetering on the brink of leaving home and setting out on their new path of college, but their childhood giggles still take over when they are together and simply makes life all the better.

Maybe they cherished the laughter a bit more this year, rather than take for granted its daily presence, knowing within a moment life can change.

Maybe this year, a stronger sense of friendship ignited, feeling bonded by the struggle of what they have lost, while also maturing and envisioning all that awaits them.

So as my daughter and I clean up from her senior year Friendsgiving, my heart hopes and prays that I will once again see these beautiful young women gathered around our table next November.

I hope they will continue to gather and share with one another the new journeys that await them at college, while remaining tied down to their roots at home.

I hope this year may be a reminder to all of us...

Friendsgiving is not about where the table is located, but rather the gift of being able to gather around, side by side together, while knowing deep within our souls that the love within the room never wavers...

and this is my Thanksgiving blessing...
another Friendsgiving filled with love...