About 4½ years ago I met this amazing woman at a Ladies’ Retreat deep in Indiana Amish country. The retreat was organized by another church in our district and Stephanie was the main speaker.

Her story is one of intense pain and triumph. It touched me deeply and bonded us forever. My hope that one day she will have the courage to publish it.

Because of distance, illness, covid restrictions and a couple of surgeries. We have not seen each other since April 2017. In the interim we have kept in contact via text, social media & YouVersion Reading Plans.

BUT…..

Today we met for brunch in a the little town of Willow Springs, IL (the ½ way point between Crystal Lake & Bradley). It was a wonderful time of fellowship, catching up & discovering new things about each other.

Besides our shared faith, Stephanie also had WLS (weight loss surgery). Her gastric bypass was over 20 years ago and her success is a shot in the arm that keeps me going on the days when I wonder if I will be able to maintain all of the lifestyle changes that I have made.

Friends like Stephanie are a true gift from God and I can’t wait to see her again next month.