Welcome to the first edition of Thoughtful Thursday! I figure once a week is probably a good time for me to reflect on some random things and to filter through some of those thoughts that float around in my head… a scary place I’m sure!

So my thoughts today are centered on how at 25 years old I feel like Tim and I (as a unit) are getting to that point in our lives where we really start to think about the things and people that matter most. Additionally, in case I haven’t mentioned this, I am in Confirmation class at the church Tim and I will be getting married at. Casey is also in these classes with me so it’s pretty great. These classes have, as you probably imagine, challenged me to star to prioritize my life and make sure that my life is filled with the right people who care about me and that I truly care about. So although these are things that I should probably think about all of the time and I think to some extent I do but these confirmation classes have certainly started to put things into a different light for me. I have just really been enjoying that.

So the last week or so have been interesting. Schedules have been insane, relationships have been tested, and it is has become so clear to me that friendships and relationships are truly about quality and not quantity. I know in college it is a great idea to have 100 friends… 100 people to drink with… 100 people to eat pizza with… 100 people to do group projects with… but usually most of those 100 people didn’t really know what you liked, your hobbies, your family, and just you. I have been really lucky to have a few key people in my life that have shown me what true quality relationships are all about. It is those people that are there for you NO MATTER what… they aren’t afraid to struggle when things get tough; they speak their mind but respect the opinions of others. They are really impressive people that I love. What has been really nice is that Tim and I have been able to find quality relationships with people as a unit. So we have friends who are so wonderful to us and that we enjoy spending our time with.

I have also really been thinking about the value of accepting others and being a non-judgmental person. That is far easier said than done, I won’t deny that for one second, but it certainly is a good quality to hope to have. Tim and I have both realized that every relationship we have is different and that those relationships we have are different for the people that are our friends. People just live their life in different ways, lifestyles are different, expectations are different, planning happens differently, communication happens differently, and I I have just really been thinking about how important it is to understand that just because someone’s lifestyle is different from mine doesn’t mean it’s right or wrong… it’s just different. The friends we have right now just get that ya know. We all have different marriages/relationships, we handle conflict differently, we love differently, but we accept each other for who we are. We don’t assume that just because the relationship is different than someone has got to be unhappy or disappointed. It’s important to accept and understand without assuming you know more about someone else’s relationship than they do about their own! Just another life lesson I guess!

Overall, I guess my random thought for Thursday is simple… I’m a lucky girl and that I LOVE my friends!