Friendship cultivation

On Saturday, October 19, our family went to Richmond, Maine, to attend a fall-themed open house that was being hosted by friends of ours that used to live closer to our neck of the woods of Maine. They’d moved down to Richmond a couple of years ago so that he could work for LL Bean corporate office, and it has made a better life for them in many ways. She and Laurel are good friends, their kids and ours get along well, and he and I are friends, so it’s always refreshing to spend time with them.

They had invited a couple of other families from the Bangor area, but we were the only ones to make the trip. The rest of the invitees were from the church that she and the girls attend in Portland. Two of the families that came are cousins of mine, and the other two families represented are friends of the hosts. I’d met one family previously. I’m not using names to protect the innocent. 🙂

The hosts live on a quiet street corner in a residential neighborhood. They have a pleasant back yard with enough room to play cornhole or Kuub, both of which took place while we were there. There is a public ball field and park behind their home, so the kids could play there, too. A couple of the kids played on the playground for a little while.

Our friends have set up a good concrete patio, complete with a sturdy firepit, and there was ample space for a dozen or so chairs to fit around the patio and pit. Hot soups and stews were supplied for our supper, along with homemade breads and biscuits. There were chips, veggies, and dips, cheese, crackers, and grapes for snacking. And for dessert, there was a S’mores Station: graham crackers, fudge-stripe cookies; Hershey bars, Cookies’n’cream bars, Reese’s PB Cups, and Nestle Crunch bars; standard-size marshmallows and giant marshmallows. Plus, there were beverages for all tastes: water, soda, cider, hard ciders, beer, and seltzer water.

The day was filled with conversations and laughter. That laughter was great medicine. We reunited with our relatives and friends, but we also strengthened newer friendships and established a brand new relationship. How humbling it was to meet our new friend, T, who introduced herself by saying, “You’re the people we’ve been praying for! I’m so GLAD to meet you!”

And that is something we’ve been hearing frequently this year. It demonstrates how intertwined the body of Christ truly is. We hear of a brother or sister in the Lord that needs prayer, so we pray. In God’s providence, we may meet him or her later on, and we see for ourselves the power of God at work. It’s an amazing experience that pierces the hardness of our hearts and fills us with fresh gratitude for the love, mercy, and grace of our Savior. We find ourselves saying once again, to God be the glory!