12:34 March 4

At the end of this particular week, I'm grateful for the friends in my life and the different ways I've met each of them. Some in school (primary, secondary, college, grad school--all levels!), some in church, some in the neighborhood, some through Matt's or my work, some through the kids' school or sports teams, some through shared adversity. I'm also thankful for the myriad ways I've connected with some of them just in the last seven days: meeting for coffee, walking around the neighborhood, attending meetings, watching our kids play on the playground after school, texting, emailing and even interacting through social media. I believe friendship is ultimately a spiritual practice. I love how Brené Brown defines spirituality in her book Rising Strong: "Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to one another by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and belonging."