Do You Have A Tammy-Lee? I Do.

I'm going to proceed to brag on my friend (and her DH). She will say, and I believe her to be correct, that it is God who allows her to do the things she does. I am so thankful that God gave her to me as my dear dear friend. (She's been gone today and I haven't talked to her; I'm going through withdrawals. lol!!!!!)

Some people (like me) are very willing to help their friends and neighbors, but they don't notice the things that need to be done. I can be very generous and very helpful, jumping in when things need to be done. However, I'm not incredibly observant. (Don't ask me to be a witness at an MVC; you would be chasing the wrong color vehicle.) Tammy-Lee isn't like me.

Tammy-Lee (and another friend) "knew" I was pregnant with this baby before I did. She had already started planning and thinking about where I would need help (having been my friend through the last pregnancy). As soon as I announced the blessing, she was on the phone to me asking specific questions about when depression sinks in, when I start to get very very tired, what she could do to keep schooling going for us, and if the kids would be staying with them again when "it's time!"

My dear friend thinks about others; the gifts she (and her DH) gives are not cheesy. They are well thought out and specific to the individual. She listens to what her friends say and watches what they do so that she gets a gift that she knows you will love. Remember my birthday? (Read about it here.) She got me exactly what I wanted!

She gets me organized. So many times my thoughts are muddled and I'll give her a call. When I'm done, we'll have made a decision and a plan of action. I go away feeling so much better than when I started the conversation.

My dh has been off work for almost a whole year. (He was removed from his job in January of 2009 and just now started working full time for a safety company.) I've been spoiled having him home all the time - to run errands, get groceries, mow the lawn, deal with the garden. He's even helped with dishes and laundry and bathing kids. Now, his new job is going to require him to be away a lot sometimes. I'm not sure I can handle it, but she is! And if things are feeling rough I just have to call and ask for help. (It's not just Tammy-Lee that's offered this help either; many from the church have offered to watch kids, grab groceries, etc.)

Tammy-Lee doesn't like my Christmas tree (it's too homemade and not hotel-like) and she doesn't like Survivor. But that's okay. She loves my kids even more than I think I know. I don't understand it, but I am sure okay with it. My kids do need others that love them almost (never quite) as much as I do. They need others to make them behave and remember their manners. My children need "aunts" and "uncles" who make them laugh and wear them out. My Wyatt needs a big boy "cousin" to run him around so he sleeps at night. lol.

I know that even though we haven't talked today that she'll wait until after Survivor is over to call. LOL. (Tammy-Lee, I'll probably watch it late tonight - after J goes to work. heehee)

I'm not the only one who is amazed at all that Tammy-Lee does and is. Others have said so as well. To us, this woman is amazing. To her, the things she does are just par for the course. Tammy-Lee is serving God with her skills, her talents, her gifts. All the time I see her trying to make her relationship with her God better and closer. Every day she is learning and growing.

Is this woman perfect? Do I have her on some sort of pedestal? I don't think so. I am just thankful for the "in real life" friend that God has given me. She's an answer to prayer, because I prayed for a real friend that lived close to me for a long time. She's enough older than me that she's "been there, done that" but not so old that she can't relate or remember.

One day I'll brag on her daughter - my primary babysitter.

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,