Friendship Month: My Mother, My Friend

by Stephanie Smith

As we celebrate National Friendship month, I searched the Bible for scripture related to friendship. I came across a few, but this one stood out among the rest: "Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?" (Proverbs 20:6 NLT)

Growing up, I was always close to my mom, but I didn't think of her as a friend—let alone my best friend—until I was a mom myself and could appreciate her steadfast loyalty and unwavering reliability.

As a kid, I wanted to spend all my spare time with my best friends, having sleepovers and sharing secrets. Our dreams were grand, and life seemed full of possibilities. BFF's 4-ever was our motto and in my youth I never questioned that loyalty. But, as we got older, sleepovers were fewer and further between, replaced by boys or homework. Before long we were out of school, getting married and having babies. The same people I'd promised to be BFF's 4-ever became virtual strangers.

When I was 22, on the road to divorce with a two year old to care for, who do you think I turned to for help? Not my friends, but my mom. Being single herself, she offered to help me raise my daughter until "one of us remarries." Can't get much more loyal or reliable than that! My mom became my anchor and best friend. She allowed me to give my daughter a better life; much better than had I been forced to raise her as a truly single parent.

23 years later, my daughter is grown and on her own. As it happens, my mom and I have never remarried so our pact of living together is still firmly in place. I can't imagine our lives any other way, but if God blesses us with finding love, I pray that no matter what we will never be too far apart. Looking back, I realize she's the one person who's been there all along, patiently waiting for me to see she was and always will be the most reliable friend I'll ever have. I'm proud to call her my best friend. She is a gift from God and I love her with all my heart.

Stephanie Smith lives in the Pacific Northwest and enjoys listening to Christian rock music while she writes, spending time with her family, watching British television, or reading YA fantasy novels. After September is her first novel. Read more about Stephanie.





Leave a comment on every Chirp 'N Chatter Friendship post in September for a chance to win the fantastic virtual gift basket! (See the 09/01/2016 Gift Basket post.)

Friendship Month: The Gift of Friendship

by Dorothy Johnson

A sweet friendship refreshes the soul. Proverbs 27:9

I’ve been counting my blessings this week—specifically, close friendships.

On Monday, I discovered that one of my writing buddies had talked about our friendship on her blog and directed her readers to my site with the suggestion that they follow me! She was already very special to me, but this endeared her even more.

…there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

As the week progressed, I spent time with friends I grew up with. We share so much history that they know the good, the bad, and the ugly about me and still love and accept me just as I am.

I talk with my sister-friend numerous times every week. Neither of us has a sibling, but we’ve shared so many secrets that we’re closer than sisters. It doesn’t mean we always agree, but we love each other and respect our differences. Not long ago when I asked if I had made her angry, she said, “I never get mad at you.” (I bet I try her patience though.)

A true friend is the gift of God, and he only
who made hearts can unite them. —Robert South

Wednesday at Bible study, I sat beside a woman I’ve come to cherish. Although I haven’t known her as long as those childhood friends, we have a heart connection that transcends time. Over the past ten years, we’ve shared our faith and prayed together more times than I can count. She helped me through a difficult period, and hopefully, I’ve comforted her, too.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Eph. 4:32

Another Christian friend and I spent most of an afternoon this week working through a misunderstanding. We knew we could set things right when we made the time to talk honestly about it. Our bond was strengthened in the process.

A friend is what the heart needs all the time. —Henry Van Dyke

One of the things each of these relationships has in common is that while we’ve laughed together and celebrated one another’s victories, we’ve also cried together during difficult times. Nearly always, at some point, we joined in prayer over those tears.

I thank God for the sunshine these folks and a few others bring to my life. I’d love to hear about your treasured friendships, too.

Dorothy Johnson and her husband, Terry, live on a ridge overlooking the Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas. A lover of God, she blogs about life and faith at http://www.reflectionsfromdorothy.com.

Dorothy took up fiction writing after attending a writers’ retreat in 2011. She just finished her first novel and recently joined American Christian Fiction Writers.

Leave a comment on every Chirp 'N Chatter Friendship post in September for a chance to win the fantastic virtual gift basket! (See the 09/01/2016 Gift Basket post.)

Friendship Month: Make a Few Friends This Month

by Cherie Burbach

One of my favorite months is September. The turning of the leaves, the colder weather, and the focus on friends. September is friendship month, but it’s also the time I most think about my friends. I remember old pals from school since this was the time you got to see your friends again after a long summer when you did your own thing. I remember the excitement of starting school again and making new friends.

As an adult, we have to work harder to continually have new friends in our lives. Did you know that studies suggest we replace half our friends every seven years? That’s because friendships are fluid and changing. You might drift from some people and get closer to others.

For many of us, we need to actively make friends. It isn’t the same as when we were kids. But the good news is that it’s easy to do this time of year. Here are some ideas for reaching out to meet new people.

Bowling League

Indoor sports like bowling start up in September and go through the winter months. They're fun and an easy way to make new friends. The best part? You don't need to have athletic skill in order to participate.

Bowling is good for a couple looking to make friends or for someone who just wants to add to their social circle. Choose a league that goes for several weeks so you'll have more opportunity to chat with people.

Bible Groups

I think meeting friends in a Bible group setting is one of the best ways to connect. Our local group takes the summer off and then starts up again in October, and when they start up new people always join. This allows you to get to know someone at the heart of who they are, and is a great way to lift someone up and show them the kind of love that Jesus commanded. You’ll be praying for each other and sharing details of your life that help people get to know you on more than just a casual level.

Football Games and Parties

Where I’m from, football is BIG. (Hello Packers!) And the great thing is that the football season brings with it a variety of ways to make new friends. Fans who are really into the sport can join a fantasy football league and compete against others in designing their dream team.

If you're lucky enough to get tickets to a game, even better. You can make new friends by tailgating and chatting with the other folks around you.

But even those who aren't fanatics can benefit from football season. Bars and sports centers often host football parties, where a group of people watch the game on the big screen. The trick, if you're not really into football, is to at catch up on some sports-related small talk so you can carry on a conversation with the people around you.

Take a Class

Taking a class is one of my favorite ways to make new friends. I guess it’s because it makes me think of the old days in going back to school. I like to think about all those things I put on my to-do list that are “one day” items… like, one day I will learn a new language, one day I’m going to try golfing… things like that.

Take that “one day” list and look for opportunities to try something new out. Nearly every community has classes at their library or rec center, Meetup, or book groups looking for new people. Dig through the local college flyer to see if there are non-credited courses you can take, or classes at places like Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

I’ve found that the best way to form friendships from these ideas is to make conversation and get to know people. Be open and figure out what you might have in common. Some of this may feel weird to you (especially if you’re an introvert like me) but you won’t regret taking those first steps out of your comfort zone when you find a friend you cherish.

If you’re looking for even more ideas on making (and keeping friends) please check out my book, 100 Simple Ways to Have More Friends.

Cherie Burbach is a poet, mixed media artist, and freelance writer specializing in lifestyle and relationships. She has penned and contributed to articles for Readers Digest, Family Circle, About.com, NBC/Universal, Match.com, Christianity Today, and more. Her latest book is: Art and Faith: Mixed Media Art With a Faith-Filled Message. Visit her website for more info, cherieburbach.com.


Leave a comment on every Chirp 'N Chatter Friendship post in September for a chance to win the fantastic virtual gift basket! (See the 09/01/2016 Gift Basket post.)

Friendship Month: Celebrating Sisterhood

by LoRee Peery

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

I took notes for this post while sitting on my brand new deck listening to birds chirp, and a squirrel chatter at me from the oak tree. They’ll get used to me. I’m not an interloper, I’m a friend.

Next week, I’ll sit there with my two adult daughters for coffee. We‘ll chatter so much we won’t hear the creek burbling over its mini waterfall. I celebrate the fact we are friends as well as family.

Oh, what friends I’ve been blessed with over the years through the sisterhood of Bible study groups, and the sisterhood of writers. Romance Writers Sisterhood was the title of the very first blog I wrote after my first published novella. I’ve been asked how I can consider authors I’ve only met online as friends. Let me tell you, I love Delia, and countless other Christian writers I’ve yet to meet face to face.

We’re friends because of our interaction through published stories and email messages. We’ve prayed for one another. We have common bonds as lovers of Jesus and lovers of writing.

I imagine certain words create particular pictures in the minds of readers or listeners. Try it on to see what picture comes forth. Daughter. Friend. Sister. Mother. Grandmother. Grandchild. Sisterhood. Writer. Church goer.

Years ago, a friend and I created Lincoln Word Weavers, a Christian group that crossed all genres. I think it lasted a couple years. To my knowledge, no one published as a result of that critique group. However, we created deeper friendships.

I joined Romance Writers of America in 2002 and learned more about writing and publishing in six months than I had in the ten years prior. I realized immediately that I had a bond with anyone I came in contact with. The local chapter I'm part of now is Prairieland Romance Writers. We writers have a common passion (or compulsion), a synergy, that binds us together. From a local chapter to the wider American Christian Fiction Writers, I can still be amazed at the camaraderie and generosity of individuals. Whether those writers are unpublished or have a hundred best sellers under their belt, they share whatever they can for the common good.

The sisterhood of writers recognizes individual voice as one that cannot be duplicated. Romance writers tell the happily-ever-after with familiar themes; but always with unique qualities of that writer’s distinctive voice. Another sisterhood (and brotherhood) I cherish is the Pelican Book Group Publishing family.

Do you belong to a group where you have a like-minded bond? Sometimes, that group equals two. If you don’t share a sisterhood, pray about it, and seek out a friend to share National Friendship Month with.

May I make a last suggestion? “What a Friend We have in Jesus” was my mother’s favorite hymn. How about taking a few moments and sing it as a prayer to the best Friend any of us could ever have.

Inspirational romance author LoRee Peery strives to remember the Lord’s redeeming grace each day when she surveys her sense of place in Him and where He has placed her. She clings to I John 5:4 and prays her blended family and dozen grandchildren see that faith. Her Frivolities Series and other publications are available at Pelican Book Group and Amazon author page.

Touches of Time Amazon link


Leave a comment on every Chirp 'N Chatter Friendship post in September for a chance to win the fantastic virtual gift basket! (See the 09/01/2016 Gift Basket post.)

Friendship Month: Forever Friends

by Gail Kittleson

Those friendships that last and last, unstained and unstrained by the decades, mean so much to us. A woman I know in her nineties cherishes two of these relationships from far in the past. She and four or five other girls grew up together in a tiny Iowa town and remained forever friends. One by one, these women pass from this world, but their memory lives on in the friends they leave behind.

What has held them together in spite of long absences, illness, marriage (and broken marriages)? I think it’s that oft-used phrase coined by Anne of Green Gables. They’re kindred spirits. Most of us recognize that unique bond, and long for it to be repeated often throughout our lives as we meet people. Because kindred spirits are very difficult to tear asunder.

Come what may, we stick together. So many types of relating have opened up to us, with the world becoming smaller and smaller. Possibilities to make acquaintances, almost-friends and true comrades abound. Sometimes, though, circumstances and attitudes stand in the way. After six decades of relating with people, I believe that true friendship qualifies as a modern-day miracle. Willa Cather wrote, Where there is great love there are always miracles.

Ah, yes. Thinking about lasting friendships brings two of my characters to mind. Addie Bledsoe and Kate Isaacs, friends from elementary school on, lived in the World War II era, a time when many lost dear friends and loved ones to the war.

Perhaps that fact heightened their commitment to one another, but Addie, a young Iowa farm wife whose husband didn’t like Kate at all, stuck to their friendship when Kate boarded a Red Cross ship to search for her husband in England. An RAF pilot, he was downed in a crash and taken to an undisclosed location in London, so Kate determined to find him.

She made a pact to correspond with Addie, who had her own battles to fight with her cantankerous husband Harold on their Iowa farm. These two fast friends’ letters back and forth across the Atlantic bound them together even more powerfully, testifying to the incredible efficacy of the written word.

Both girls maintained a Christian worldview, although life’s trials and the war certainly caused them to question things. But having a trusted pal with whom to share their questions made all the difference in the world.

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24, New Living Translation

  Addie and Kate’s friendship certainly proved this scripture. Their story is told in In Times Like These and released in April of 2016. Their mutual commitment stood the test of time, so much so that it required a couple of sequels, one of which releases next February with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.

  Here’s to faithful alliances that endure!

About Gail Kittleson:

Late blooming women's fiction author Gail Kittleson writes mostly WWII stories of overcoming fear and finding one's voice. She and her husband enjoy family in northern Iowa and the Arizona Ponderosa pine forest in winter. Gail taught college expository writing and facilitates memoir writing and fiction workshops.


Leave a comment on every Chirp 'N Chatter Friendship post in September for a chance to win the fantastic virtual gift basket! (See the 09/01/2016 Gift Basket post.)