 Photo by Silvana Carlos on Unsplash “Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there." (Old saying) Charlie Brown has Snoopy. Scooby Doo has Shaggy. Woody has Buzz Lightyear and the good old Fonz has Ritchie Cunningham. Okay by the latter example I am really dating myself, but my point is: where would we all be without true friends? True friends are what keep us going through the hard times, keep us laughing in the good times and keep us from losing our sanity during the craziness that is our lives some days. If you have those types of people just described in your circle of influence, then consider yourself very blessed. BFFs are what we call best friends nowadays. I hear a lot about this in my classroom. I remember when I didn’t even know what that acronym meant, but now it is very commonly heard. I have a very sweet student who calls me "Miss Naldi." My last name is Romualdi, so it is close, but not quite. I had to smile the one day when she said "I am not calling you Miss Naldi anymore." I inquired about what she planned to call me going forward thinking she finally got my name correct. She replied "I am going to call you bestie." So cute! It is easy to see who is friends with who in a small classroom. It is also easy to see who may be feeling left out or lonely. It is quite painful to witness at times. I try to be very aware of this and set up scenarios where I select the partners, pick teams and provide a setting of inclusion. I remember when I went to school this did not always happen. We were asked to pick a partner, or pick teams and the same kids were often left out or picked last. You could see how painful it was for them. I am so glad we are making positive steps to move away from those types of practices today.  Photo by Elle Hughes at Pexels I love the James Taylor song “You’ve Got A Friend.” My good friend Rosie and I sang it together in high school. It was one of my proudest moments and fondest memories of high school. If I do say so myself we had a great duet going on with some lovely harmonies. The words say “You just call out my name and you know wherever I am, I’ll come running to see you again! Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call and I’ll be there! You’ve got a friend!” Those lyrics speak to the power of those true friends who will drop everything to come and help us. Those types of people are very precious and valued. I hope you are blessed to have some of those gems in your life. I am very fortunate to have several in that special category.  Photo by Pixabay at Pexels Good friends come in all shapes, sizes and age categories. Some of my closest friends through the years have been very different from me, yet despite our differences we formed amazing bonds and still found we had very much in common. We developed a kindred spirit that still continues to this day. Be open minded when it comes to new friendships. You never know who might just walk into your life and become one of your closest and dearest friends. Friends are truly one of life’s greatest treasures. Let your “besties” know what they mean to you today. Believe me they will appreciate it and you will feel great that you let them know how you feel about them.  In Proverbs 18:24, the Bible talks of Jesus who is the “friend that sticks closer than a brother.” Personally I have found that to be so true in my walk with Christ. Sometimes people can disappoint us because they are only human, yet Jesus will always be at our side if we are open to His leadings. Tuck that in your heart today ❤️and repeat this prayer below if you would like to become a follower of Jesus and know the feeling of having a friendship like you have never known. Dear Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I believe that you are God and are able to forgive me of my sins. I ask you to forgive me of my sins and become my personal saviour. Come into my heart and change me into the person I am meant to be. Help me to live for you from this day forward. Thank you for coming into my life. In Jesus's name, Amen Sending you a virtual hug, Dana
Tags: friendship, relationship with God, true friendsCopyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana (Dana Romualdi) 2nd edition, © 2014, 1st edition ( You've Got a Friend)
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 Photo by Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels There are days when you feel tired and then there are days when you feel tired right down to your soul. Can you relate? The cares and demands of life can really bog us down some days and rising to the challenge of our daily agenda may seem next to impossible at times. I have been there many days. I read a quote that said "Giving your best can look different each day." I love this because no one can bring their "A game" EVERY day and some days the fact that we even showed up should be considered a success. It is so easy to beat ourselves up for an "off" day, or a day that we are not quite ourselves but those days are normal. We are only human after all. Give yourself grace and know that even the most productive people have off days too.  The good news is as Christians we serve a Saviour who specializes in giving strength to the weak. In Matthew 11:28 it says: "Come to me all who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest." I cannot tell you how many times I have sent out an SOS prayer to Jesus saying "Cover me. I'm going in and I am so tired. I can't do this alone. I need to operate in your strength today dear God." He empowers me each time I pray and I feel so reassured knowing that my God and I are "doing life" together. No one was made to "do life" alone. We need each other, but mostly we need a Saviour. He comes through for me every time and we face the day together. I cannot tell you what a difference that has made in my life. He wants to do the same for you. He wants to take you from a position of powerlessness to empowered through Him. Will you invite Him to do this in your life? Tuck that in your heart today ❤️and repeat this prayer below if you would like to become a follower of Jesus. Dear Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I believe that you are God and are able to forgive me of my sins. I ask you to forgive me of my sins and become my personal saviour. Come into my heart and change me into the person I am meant to be. Help me to live for you from this day forward. Amen Sending you a virtual hug, Dana
Tags: God's strength, God's help, Jesus as SaviourCopyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana (Dana Romualdi)  Photo by Ben White on Unsplash I remember when I grew up, we had the privilege of praying in the public schools. Not only did we recite the Lord's prayer daily, but we also ended with a closing prayer each afternoon. Oh how I WISH we could do that in my classroom today! I attended a very small public school for several years. Added to our daily routine was also the singing of several hymns from the beloved, small, brown, hymnbook. I am a singer and my teacher Mrs. Janzen must have seen great potential in me even way back then. Every hymn session, she would smile and sing the alto harmonies loud and clear in my ear. I picked it up every time very easily. I was so proud and she was proud of me too. I would grin from ear to ear! To this day, I credit much of my ability to harmonize to her faithful and patient singing in my ear. God bless teachers like Mrs. Janzen. One of my favourite old hymns we often sang was entitled: My God and I. Simply put it talked of the unique and exceptionally special relationship between our Heavenly Father and us. It spoke of walking through beautiful meadows and talking and laughing as best friends do. The lyrics brought powerful images to mind of a Heavenly Father who is also a dear friend who truly desires to spend quality time with us.  In Romans 5:11 it says: So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God. – Romans 5:11 (NLT) It is truly incredible that the God of the universe desires a friendship with us. I talk to God about EVERYTHING! He is my best friend, confidant and the keeper of my deepest desires, secret prayers and biggest dreams. I don't know where I would be today without God and trust me, I don't even want to imagine ever doing life without him by my side 24/7. There is NOTHING my God and I can't handle together and I am so grateful for the relationship we have each and every day of my life! Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that you are a God that calls us friends. Thank you that you are never too busy to listen to us or spend time with us. We love you and appreciate the relationship we have with you beyond words. In Jesus' name, Amen Sending you a virtual hug, Dana
Copyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana/ walkingintheword Tags: friendship with God, my God and I, spending time in God's prescence |
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