I want to publicly thank my friends who have mined bright crystals in some of my somber circumstances and irksome tasks:

• To Cyndi who graciously understood when I was waaaaay late for lunch today. Sometimes my mind is a mess of too many details. Thanks for a great talk about materialism and what really matters. I sense in you a kindred spirit.
• To Stacey who called me today because God was dear enough to put me on her praying heart. You’re a blessing to me. I only wish we lived closer.
• To Leslie who empathizes with me in so many ways. Your tears when I can’t even shed my own are a gift to me.
• To D’Ann who prays for me, really prays, and shoulders my pain. Because you’ve done that, my pain is smaller.
• To Sandi who loves me enough to tell me the truth, and walks this publishing journey alongside me with such integrity it takes my breath away.
• To Pam who blesses me with such wise words and an open, teachable heart.

There are so many I could thank, but these are the women who God brought to mind right now. Sometimes life’s darkness gets so thick, we need friends to point out the light. Thank you, my dear friends, for doing just that.