April 30, 2019-- Hey, I want to be mermaid-- and that's okay.

I am different, I am strange, I am loved. 

About a year ago, I prayed to God to send me friends. If you know me, you know this was asking a BIG favor. I have never been the girl to have close friends. In high school, I chose to stay in on Friday nights to play cards with my mom instead of going to hang out with people my own age. BUT let me tell you, God is SO good. When I prayed this prayer, I never could have imagined the impact it would have on my life.

During this time in my life, I was struggling BIG time. I was homesick and ready to give up on Jacksonville. I, being the brilliant person I am, decided to stay in Jacksonville over the summer and move into my first big girl house by myself. While this sounded fun, nobody told me the amount of money it would take, the amount of hours I would have to work, and the lack of people that would stay in a college town over the summer. I was miserable. But, God. God never let me give up.

Now if you know me, you know I am so strange. I am the girl that wears onesies and has dance battles with herself in the mirror. Not many people I know can say that, but God knew. I am so thankful for a knowing God because he had already designed my fellow weirdos and placed them in the right places at the right time. Slowly, one-by-one, the people God knew I needed started to appear.

First, God sent Abbi. I had already known Abbi from Freshman year, but this past year has been filled with nothing but growth for our friendship. She became my mom away from mom. She was able to put up with my random noises, my desire to dance in high heels at midnight, and my lack of adultness. She even took care of me when I was sick (I'm such a baby).

Then came everyone else. This included my fellow mentors, followed by Cam, Mia, Michael, and so on.

Soon enough, I was able to have friends and be myself. There was no pressure to change my character in order to fit in. They accepted me for me. They encouraged me to wear my unicorn onesie (maybe that is a longshot), have nerf gun battles in my living room, pretend to be a mermaid in a pillowcase, and they even joined in on the fun.

God is so good. Even before I knew I needed these amazing people, he had it all planned out. He knew. This past year has been the most amazing year of my life. I learned so much about myself. Even when I felt that I was struggling, I was thriving. My only regret is not realizing this earlier.

So, don't give up! God has a plan for you. God also has a plan for me and I cannot wait to see who God sends to me next. Who knows, God might just send you to join in on our late nights.