Overlapping

I met Alison because our husbands are cousins.  When we first met I wasn't sure we'd ever connect, but she has grown and I have grown and children have entered the scene and 9 years later she is one of my closest friends.

I met Amy because our families signed up for the same music class last spring.  Her son and Niko hit it off right away.  We have a lot in common in terms of our childhoods and our outdoor/athletic interests.  We're still getting to know one another.

I met Sylvia when we were teaching at the same school five years ago.  I suspected right away that we would get along, but we didn't really talk much until she came to our playgroup at church.  She is someone I call when I need my attitude challenged.

I met Brenda as a kid, I suppose, since she is my cousin-in-law.  But now that she has a daughter Niko's age, we have been deliberately getting together.  I am getting to know her as an adult and turn a family relationship into a friendship.

I met Kris by shouting across our new street this fall.  She offers a very different perspective in many things and a nice comfort for me to have another mom right across the street.

I met Tania when my childhood friend started dating her.  Our friendship has gone from email to phone to visits to playdates as we've entered many stages at the same time.

6 different women, representing 6 of Niko's buddies.  All from different circles, connections, and communities.  All here this morning to celebrate Niko turning four.  I am so thankful that Niko has good friends already. Each one unique in interests and abilities.  Each one with parents know and respect.  All connected for different reasons and in different circumstances.  It takes a village to raise a child.  Today's village may not have the same geography it once did, but it is a village nonetheless - bound by overlapping lives of chance, good fortune, and divine orchestration.