Kindred Sprirts

These are my friends Richard and Sheri. I didn't post the wrong picture, you're right they are as old as my parents. Sheri and I met as we were both youth sponsors in St. Albert and neither one of us liked to pay attention at the meetings. We'd sit in the back getting in trouble, well at least getting those wicked looks from the keeners who want to know the perfect Bible Study formula for teens. (Little do they know there isn't one, (insert evil laughter)).

Sheri has two daughters who are my age and a son who is 16 or 17 I think. Her son Josh and Nick hit if off famously and did a lot of sound stuff together during Nick's internship. Sheri and I made fun of everything. We would spend evenings at their house eating and chilling. Sheri and her daugther Jocelyn were the first to find out I was pregnant with Isabella. She is just a great person.

Sheri never treats you like you're young. Perhaps it's because she is ten years younger than her husband and he doesn't treat her like a kid. She has such a heart for young people and mentoring and she isn't naive. I mean she knows that med parties and the oral sex epidemic aren't scare tactics to get you involved in your teenagers life. She has such a great influence on everyone and is so generous. She shares openly about her life and is just a great encouragement. And if you're bored and the room is full of people, there's probably someone who's not there and so deserves to have a "caper" pulled on them. Ah summer camp, it never dies.

Richard has to be the oldest kid on the block. Everytime I talk to him I learn something new. For example at the wedding this weekend I learned he used to be a dj and he told me all about how a dj targets a couple and plans his play list around keeping them on the floor. (You thought you were just paranoid didn't you?). Richard takes his faith very seriously and not just in word or in it being a list of rules to follow. Everytime we visit they thank us for the time we spent with the youth of their church and they let us know they are praying for us. The same way they pray for their own flesh and blood.

When I think of my relationship with Sheri and Richard, and their relationships with their children I know that that is what I want to be like. Totally relevant, but not trying to be 18 again and their child's best friend. So much fun to be with and yet you know you can come over and cry in a cup of coffee if you need to. I'm so blessed to have known them and I hope they don't mind that I want to grow up to be just like them!