My Mom has Jeri

Mom and Jeri

Me and mom

Ever since I can remember my mom has had Jeri. Jeri is her best friend. They write letters to each other and they talk on the phone every couple of weeks. Jeri used to live here in Minnesota, but then her husband was transferred to Houston, Texas. That was probably eleven years ago. Jeri has two biological sons and two adopted daughters. I have two biological sisters and two adopted brothers. They met when the Privet's adopted Anna and the Johnson's adopted Spencer, about 15 years ago. Ever since then they've shared in their toils and joys of parenting. Spencer and Anna are half-siblings, meaning they have the same birth mother and different birth fathers. This shows the connection our families have are not just by love, but by blood. I love that. But we have a further connection. One of the greatest parts of Jeri is that she and my mom talk about Jesus and his grace. They hold each other accountable. Jeri is the greatest person for my mom. She loves visiting (she comes here once a year and my mom goes there once a year) and going fabric shopping, she loves making things, she is very funny. My mom and I are very close but going fabric shopping and making things are two things that I neither enjoy or do with my mom. I get bored and tired. My dad loves Jeri because he does not like doing those things either. He is so thankful that my mom has Jeri to do girly things with because if she didn't he would have to try and do them.

My point in telling you this is that I pray that one day I too will have a Jeri. I pray that when I grow up I will have someone who calls me and writes letters to me, someone who visits me and we do things together. I would say that my whole life I have not had someone like Jeri. Of course, when I was younger I had a best friend, in middle school I had someone that was like a best friend. But, I've never had a Jeri. I've never had someone who would hold me accountable and worship Jesus with me. Who would love doing the things I loved doing. I pray that someday I will have a Jeri.

Please don't misunderstand me. This is not a pity party. I do not want you to feel bad that I don't have a Jeri. I want you to pray with me that you too will one day have someone who cares that deeply for you. I know many of us will one day have spouses, but men and women are different and just as much as we need our spouses to be our best friends we need a best friend of the same gender. Pray with me that God will one day, sooner or later, give you a Jeri. Also pray that I won't idolize this best friend because Jesus is a better friend then anyone on earth could be. He sees all my crap and he still loves me. Human friends see my crap and get annoyed and have to work harder to love me. Jesus, what a friend to sinners.

In the name of the only one who can fill my need for a best friend,
Greta