Real

i have been soaking in non-fiction book (i usually prefer fiction). books on relationships and life. i have really enjoyed every one of these books.  i love knowing that i am not alone in some of the things i struggle with. i am thankful for the brave people who write these books.

one of the pieces in the book that i am currently reading, Never Unfriended by Lisa Jo Baker, talks about how in the business of life sometimes we are more concerned with how the house looks when we have friends come over instead of just enjoying them.  i don't think she is giving us a reason to just not clean or straighten our homes but giving us a breather the ability to be real and enjoy relationships, even in our messes.

i am thankful for the friends in my life that i can do this with and who have thought the same of me. we were at a friends house recently and when we got there it was time for dinner. as we walked into her kitchen, she mentioned that she didn't have a chance to load the dishwasher, but knew it was our family coming over and that we would be fine with it.

i don't even think i noticed the dishes, i was just so excited to hang out with them. i mentioned to her that it was fine and that i completely understood, also that just the night before i had done the exact same thing with some friends that had come over.

it was the first time they would be seeing the new kitchen, aside from pictures that they had seen, and i just didn't have the time to get the dishes in the already full dishwasher, so i just left them. i knew they would be fine with it and they completely were. i wasn't concerned with the dishes and we had a great time just hanging out in the kitchen and talking.

i love the ability to be real with friends, for them to see our messes and love anyway.