Let’s Be Friends

Quick question for you: What do you think about when you hear the phrase, “Road trip!”

Reflecting on my college days, no other delightful duo of words prophesied adventure more than “road trip.” Whether the escapade meant many miles or a few, my friends and I could be ready to go pronto.

While most of us had classes on Fridays, we simply chose to create a long weekend, and be MIA for the day. Our grades dipped as a result, but we hit the road anyway.

Driving thru’ the night was another given, coupled with massive quantities of caffeine. Thankfully, our parents knew none of this.

Our destination wasn’t as important as the journey. It was the invaluable gift of time we grabbed to spend with each other, non-stop chatter our real agenda. No stress, only a care-free breeze blowin’ through our hair, the Spinners serenading us at high decibels.

A few decades later, I’ve discovered the exact same excitement of loading up a car still holds true today. Whether with my husband and children, or with dear friends, the thrill of traveling together woos me in every time.

Sister-friend, you and I are going to take a road trip via this book. Think Thelma and Louise minus the cliff.

I’ll be giving you a sneak peek into many uniquely God-orchestrated friendships. You’ll get the chance to meet many lovely ladies and see how they changed my life by bringing new opportunities into it. They’ve been the hinge that opened the door to those opportunities.

While I’d have preferred to kick back on the couch, parked in my comfort zone, you’ll see how these persuasive sister-friends lifted me up off that comfy couch, into faith-boosting experiences. Their one little question, “Would you like to ______________?” led me to utter a sheepish “yes.”

I like to call these answers an “uncomfortable yes.” You know what I mean? When your first instinct is to say, “no,” but “yes” falls out of your mouth. Turns out my uncomfortable yeses are some of the best decisions I’ve ever made. You’ll see them sprinkled throughout this book.

Let’s take a minute for a little background before we take off. First, I was a hovered over, micro-managed lonely only. My parents were married for eight years before I came along, and then we were three. Rarely separated.

Though I remained an only child, I didn’t stay lonely for long. Over the years the Lord has blessed me with incredible friends. Some came individually and some came in groups, which are all blissfully named. (You must know naming things and people is of monumental importance to me.)

Second, I’m also blessed with four men and four women in my life. One hubby of over three decades, three sons, three daughters-in-love, and one granddaughter (with more grandbabies on the way!).

As we journey through seasons of friendship together, you’ll be blessed by precious pearls of wisdom from some of my friends. They’re not only sharing their life’s experiences, they’ve also agreed to share some of their infamous, to-die-for recipes, for which you’ll thank me later, trust me. (Fourteen are included in this book, while thirty-two more can be found on my website: www.elizabethhoagland.com)

Each chapter, which we’ll call a “stop” on our virtual road trip, is a different season along our life’s journey. Each offers a different shared pursuit for your takeaway: Discovering, Life-Giving, Understanding, Laughing, Soul-Stretching, Mentoring, Praying, Persevering, Shopping, Cheering, and Inviting.

You can bet we will laugh and cry, and laugh some more. You’ll find antics with my sister-friends worthy of a try with your own friends.

Some of my best and dearest friends arrived in the strangest of circumstances. God knows what He’s doing when He delivers a new Jane Doe on your doorstep. Right about the time you’re convinced you have the perfect number of friends, our generous Lord will show you otherwise.

Some friends appear daily, some monthly, while others came for only a season. Bottom line? They’ve all taught me something.

There are many ways to look at friendship. Someday I’d love to be able to approach friendship like Gordy does. (He’s our middle son.) When he was a freshman at the University of Kentucky (UK), I became homesick for him only days after moving him into his dorm. A reunion for lunch promised a quick fix.

I picked Gordy up at an agreed location. After a short distance, we pulled up to a four-way stop. He shouted, “Mom! Honk your horn! There’s my friend!”

I quickly honked. This handsome young man was sportin’ a vibrant UK blue shirt. When he saw Gordy, he immediately smiled and waved. As Gordy waved back, I asked, “He looks nice, what’s his name?”

Gordy replied, “I don’t know, but he’s my friend.”

Oh, that it could be that easy.

C.S. Lewis, in his book The Four Loves, said, “All true friendship begins when one person looks at another and says, ‘What? You, too? I thought I was the only one.’” This “What? You, too?” has become a favorite catch-phrase with many of my friends. My prayer is you’ll say this to yourself while reading this book, then to your friends, seeing how much we all have in common.

My goal for all of us on this journey is to grow our friendships intentionally and spiritually. Good news: each chapter will offer three sections to help us do this.