'No one could replace you'

by Olivia Hopkins

In my life I am most thankful for my friend, Abby Reising. Abby and I have been best friends for 11 years. Through these years our friendship has taught me something new every day. I have learned about patience, teamwork, to not judge, that everybody makes mistakes, how to help others and yourself.

To show gratitude I would say to Abby, "Abby, you are the bestest friend EVER! And no one could replace you."

[Editor's note: This is the second in a series of Journey essays about people we are thankful for in our lives.]

Thankful for my mom

by Lauren Wethers
In my life, I'm most thankful for my mom. She's been a constant presence since before I was even born, and I'm pretty sure we have a link--she knows, even if I'm at school, if there's something wrong, and sometimes my head hurts for no reason. I'd probably be completely lost without her.

Mom, I might not always say it out loud, but you're the most important person in my life. You've helped me through everything.

Journey gives thanks, even for the bad stuff

Sometimes in Journey we raise questions that don't seem to have easy answers. Tonight was one of those nights. The Bible says to "rejoice always," and to "pray without ceasing." And the Book of Common Prayer, in the General Thanksgiving, says to be thankful "for those disappointments and failures" that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on God alone. Be thankful for the bad things that happen in our lives? Tough to do. But tonight we tried. We listed not only all the good things we are thankful for (like friends and bathrooms and Buffalo Wild Wings), but also the bad stuff, the hard times and struggles (like friendships that end, rejection and fights). Tonight we were thankful for good and bad, or tried to be. We listed them on sticky notes and shaped them into a multicolored cross. We also chose one person in particular to give thanks for in a brief essay. Those essays will be published below here this week, starting tonight with Lauren Wethers. Stay tuned!

Journey meets tonight!

Normally, Journey meets on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. But since November has 5 Sundays, we will be meeting tonight, November 29, the fifth Sunday of November. See you there!

We are saints!

Joe Babajan (above, left), a Journey alum, joined us tonight for pizza and the lesson. Joe is on his way to Camp Pendleton (CA) where he is a helicopter pilot for the Marines.

Thanks to Joe Babajan for visiting his old Journey stomping grounds tonight. Just like 7 years ago, Joe was an active contributor tonight to the discussion, a sometimes heated debate over what it means to be a saint. We finally agreed that we are all members of the communion of saints, and wrote comments of praise and encouragement on cards taped to our backs.





Photos/Tom Atwood