With Thanks, the New Girl

I am the new girl.    It’s a reality that has defined the past 18 months of breathing, and it’s a reality that hasn’t always been fun.  (Okay, let’s face it:  I hate that reality. It’s more like the antithesis of fun.)

Being the new girl, though, has taught me a lot about how to show love to the new girl.  It might be cliche, but I really am starting to see the benefits and positive lessons of what has been an intensely tough season in my world.  I’ve been the recipient of some very gracious ladies in my new area, I’ve been invited into circles and lives and hearts with love and kindness, I have learned from their example of ongoing hospitality.

I haven’t exactly been the best recipient of that love.  I’ve declined invitations, I’ve walked away from parties prematurely, I’ve cowered in my corner when the “new” gets to be too much for my poor, little, over-saturated brain.  In the process, there’s a very distinct possibility that I have burned bridges; unintentionally offending the kind souls who have tried to reach out to me.

But, at the end of the day, I was the new girl, and because I was the new girl, I have a few thoughts on how to welcome the new girl with helpful kindness.

I’m over on KindredGrace.com today,  sharing what I learned.