dear friends

it's not often in life that you come upon people you find so genuine, so real that you are overwhelmed by their friendship, their light. brian & i have been blessed...a few times...to encounter these relationships, to count these people as our dearest & best friends.

dustin & kelly jo are two of those people. they stand out. they are different. they are different from us in ways that challenge us. they are similar to us in ways that hold us accountable & give us the reality checks we so desperately need.

and i don't think that often enough we publicly (or privately, for that matter) praise our friends, so i just wanted to take a second to do that!

the past year or so has been tough for us with brian's job. the funny thing is...we were in TX - w/ D & KJ, visiting both their families - when this opportunity presented itself in our lives. they've literally lived this journey with us every step of the way. tonight was a hard night for brian - a night that was raw with emotion & challenge, work wise. we were out w/ D & KJ & they watched B experience this & then encouraged him & counseled him in ways that showed their support, in ways that really mattered. it made me think of the following passage from ecclesiastes 4...

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

i couldn't even begin to outline here all the ways that God providentially put these 2 INCREDIBLE people in our lives. i can't begin to list the amazing ways they have loved & supported us through so many changes. how they have loved garrett & walked with us through becoming parents, despite not being parents themselves!

so to dustin & kelly jo...thank you for simply being who you are. two beautiful people who are gifts to our family. you are a credit to your people. ;-) we love you both - words could never express! thank you for tonight - as always - for the fellowship, for the laughter, for the honesty. we're better people b/c you are our friends.