“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” Acts 2:46
After being away for 15 years, I moved back to my hometown. I expected it to feel familiar, but much had changed. Many of my old friends had gone to heaven, while others had moved away to be closer to their children or had their own circle of friends.
I wanted to find a place where I belonged. I tried the senior citizens’ group, went on senior trips, and played cards. The people were kind and welcoming, but I knew that was not my niche.
Even at 83, I believed God still had a place for me to give, serve, and make a difference. I was looking for people who had the same passion that God had given me. I wanted to continue living out my life calling.
God had opened the door for me to be the house mom at Bridget’s House, a home for four women and nine children who had experienced homelessness.
I loved being part of this community. I could encourage the mothers, love the children, and use my life experience to ask permission to speak truth into their lives.
I had found a place to serve, but my heart still longed to connect with a close friend. I deeply missed my husband. After 60 years of marriage, I was living alone for the first time in my 83 years. I could be surrounded by people and still feel the quiet loneliness of not having someone with whom to share the ordinary moments of life.
One day, a volunteer named Carlene came to Bridget’s House. She was training to become a volunteer, so I gave her a tour. During that visit, Carlene shared she also was a recent widow and she invited me to her Bible study. I said yes.
I went to her home, and that simple invitation became the beginning of an amazing friendship. Carlene and I discovered that we shared many of the same interests, especially our love for God and people. We began serving together through CarePortal and Bridget’s House. She also became an amazing spiritual mentor to me through Bible Study and as a friend.
Our friendship was not based only on having fun together. We connect every Friday to encourage each other, pray together, and sometimes we serve together, and we have both grown spiritually and God has used this friendship to fill a little of the void of the daily connection we had with our husbands.
Now Carlene has joined the Thrive team. She is writing Who Am I?, which helps people understand how deeply God loves them and how that truth changes the way they live. When we truly understand God’s love and ask Him, “What would You have me do today?” love begins to overflow from our lives.
Loving others isn't a task to be accomplished, many times loving others requires sacrifice, but it is always worth it. When we remember how Christ sacrificed His life so we can live forever, serving someone else becomes an expression of gratitude.
Today was a quiet Sunday afternoon. I had been thinking about a dream I believed God had given me during the night, and I wanted someone with whom I could share it. So, I texted Carlene: “Want to do something today?” “What do you have in mind?” she replied. “Sitting on your deck and visiting.” “Sure. Anytime.” “Do you like custard?” “Yes.” “I made some yesterday. I’ll bring it.”
It was nothing elaborate, no work involved, just two friends, a deck, a conversation, and homemade custard. But that is often what friendship looks like. It is having someone you can call. Someone who welcomes you. Someone who listens to what is on your heart. Someone with whom you can share both your faith and your custard.
Carlene probably did not know how much her invitation to Bible study would mean to me. She simply saw me, reached out, and made room for me in her life. That one invitation grew into friendship, service, spiritual encouragement, a person to regularly talk about scripture and what God is doing in our lives and now a shared role in Thrive.
Friendship does not always begin with a major event. Sometimes it begins with a tour of a house, an invitation to Bible study, or a bowl of custard shared on a Sunday afternoon. God knew I needed a friend. He brought Carlene into my life through a place where we were both willing to serve. We each found our people: a widow who gets it, and someone who loves to serve others.
What a joy it is to have a friend, and what a gift it is to become that kind of friend for someone else.
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Think of one person God has placed in your life who may be longing for connection. Take one simple step toward them this week. Invite them for coffee, share a meal, take a walk, or simply sit and talk. You do not need an elaborate plan. Make room, listen well, and see what God might grow from one simple invitation.