For you, Mrs. Hodges

I have a dear friend who has a blog, but is hesitant to take the public plunge.  And as she talked about her fears and worries of sharing her thoughts and life with all to read, I sat back with pure admiration.  What she doesn't know is I find her amazing.  Her quiet humility, loyalty, and courage are what I strive for everyday.  She's not perfect, but she never claims to be.  She doesn't need to send mass emails to everyone in her contact list to receive encouragment or praise like I do.  She doesn't need to be the life of the party to feel a sense of value or worth like I do.  She doesn't step on toes, she doesn't hurt feelings from her bold comments, and she doesn't judge me.  In fact, she loves me.  She loves the very spirit of me and she has never asked me to change.  She celebrates that my "otter" personality is loud and fun and gets the kids going at camp.  She cheers on my boldness.  She loves me for who I am, end of story.  She has taken the time to listen to me, my thoughts, my feelings, my stories, my life.  She has taken the time to get to know me, my past, my dreams, my fears, my failures.  She has provided a safe place for me to expose my ugliest warts, and yet, has never once judged me.  There are very few, I can only count on one hand, of people that I know that know everything about me and I don't feel any judgment from.  She is one.  She is what God calls us to be when he says, "love your neighbor as yourself".  She is the definition of a true, loyal, real friend.  So thank you, Jen, for being inspirational even without words, even without a blog, even without knowing it.  You are a gem, a rare species, a precious stone to hold on to.  Thank you for being you.