My friends are cruel.

I’m not even gonna keep you in suspense on this one.

No jewelry.

Do you KNOW how much I love my jewelry? It hangs from every doorknob in my bedroom, two drawers crammed full, two jewelry trees, and a jewelry box. The bigger and flashier, the better.

And not one piece will adorn me today. No eye-catching necklace, no jingling bracelets, no sparkly rings, not even my tiny glittering studs are in my ears.

I feel exposed.

But. The reason is solid, and so I dressed in such a way I wouldn’t have worn much, anyway. I feel so drab. I feel like a BOY.

But I suppose it came on an okay-enough day. I didn’t have to go anywhere today, besides work and spin, and at work I’m not exactly flocked with strangers most days. As for spin, I take almost all my jewelry off, and I don’t think I can look any worse than when I’m exercising, so it’s fine.

Who gave me this little piece of hell, you want to know? My good friend, Jena. That’s right, she knows exactly where to go for blood. Dirty, dirty. I would never mistreat her that way.

Y’all should know I just spent an eternity hunting for a certain picture of her on my flash drives. I didn’t find it but here’s a picture of the picture, and it will just have to do. 😁

Enough on my vanity. Onto my prayers.

Father, I come to you tonight with an anxious heart. To think of what my friend is enduring, I cannot fathom. I know it can always be worse. But I ask you to keep Rob safe as he is out on the roads making his way, providing for his family. I know he never intended to be away from them this much, and I know how his heart aches. I ask for a hedge of protection around him and keep those angels near. I pray for your strength firmly at Jena’s back as she cares for their boys, delivering them to school, making sure their shoes are tied and their hair is combed and their homework is done. Making sure they’ve eaten and brushed their teeth and remembered their science fair project. Those are good, good boys and I can only imagine how their heart hurts when they want to show their daddy something and he’s not right there to see and listen. And Jena, working all day in the healthcare system and then having to pick those two rambunctious boys up and rein them in to eat supper and wash up and say prayers and get into bed without Daddy there to tuck them in. I know lots of single parents do it with no help at all, but maybe it’s even harder when you’re used to having a helpmate to split responsibilities. At any rate, I pray for confidence and ease of negotiations in the event Rob seeks employment elsewhere in order to be home. We thank you for careers that bless us with money to live our lives, and we are humbled that we have the ability to work and communicate and drive. I thank you for their healthy sons and the little farm to raise them on. I pray that Jena stays in control and isn’t overwhelmed during the four years Rob is on contract. It is my desire that this time apart will only serve to strengthen their relationship with each other, and more importantly, strengthen their relationship with You. I pray for your grace and your peace to settle within them all, and soothe their troubled hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I have no “new” stories on Jena, I don’t see her enough and when I do we don’t get into the mischief we used to. And to be fair, I forced her to pick something to fast. She said I didn’t have to because we love food too much!! See how sweet she is? She’s one of those rare people I fell right in with, and I never have to be anything but precisely myself. She accepts me with all my faults on full display and I love her for it. I love her and her family for a million reasons, and one near the top is she doesn’t force her darling little boys on me. As a matter of fact, she goes to great lengths to keep us separated. 😁 That’s a true friend, right there.
Prayers for all the people out there who thought life would be different, that it would never be this hard.

Prayers for the lonely. You aren’t forgotten.

Love from Appalachia,
Amy xoxo