Immesurable Blessings

I touched on this a little on Friday, but I didn’t fully develop the thought until after I published my post. And by that point, it was, like, 1:30 am and I needed to get some sleep.

There are two ingredients to a party. People and food. No matter what the occasion, at least around here, where ever there is a gathering of people, there is usually food. AND, where ever there is food, the people… they come.

The enjoyment of the two go hand in hand, in my opinion. Maybe it’s a holiday gathering of family with turkey and all the trimmings. Or perhaps it’s a back-yard barbecue with kids screaming and playing in the background. Or, like our case on Friday, it’s an intimate gathering of friends around an exquisitely decorated table with a carefully planned out wanna-be gourmet meal.


The combination of the two ingredients significantly impacts your enjoyment of the occasion. If one is lacking, the whole evening may be mediocre and unmemorable at best. Or it could be completely shot at worst. But, if the gathering of people matches the atmosphere and food, then you could have the make-up of a great event that will leave you talking about it for days and wanting to do it again way too soon.

I’ve experienced both extremes. We have had occasions in the past where the people we invited came from several different groups of friends and therefore there was no cohesive conversation. We’ve had occasions where the atmosphere or food was not conducive to good interaction.

However, our combination on Friday night was perfection for me. Ten of us gathered around a table and talked about everything and nothing at all. We laughed until some of us cried, and others of us had to go to the bathroom (because you know, we’re females and we’ve given birth to babies). We ate and drank and shared stories about our children and about the great and mighty things God has done in our lives recently. My friend Cristel wrote a great post about our evening.


I got to thinking while we were all gathered around the table that evening how blessed I am by the friendships I have. How we all bring different things to the table (so to speak). For Friday night specifically, I brought the food to the table. Keal prepared the table itself, and oh what a beautiful job she did. Greg brought the wine. Erin contributed her fondue pot. Sarah & Steve brought the conversation and comic relief. How true is that of all our friendships?

All my friends bring something different to the table of my life. Some bring stimulating conversation. Some bring the ability to challenge me on matters of faith. Some are great shopping partners. Others help take care of me and my family when things are not going well. Some are encouragers. And still others are there to make me laugh until milk comes out of my nose.

But all of them, every single one, is a gift from God. I needed this reminder of how immeasurably blessed I am by each of them and each of you.