Dear married friends,

I have a handful of amazing girlfriends that are wives, mamas, and some of my biggest cheerleaders. 

In a world full of lists and how tos of what we should do better, I just wanted to take a minute to praise them for what they are already doing so well. 

It is hard some days to be the only awkward, single friend in a sea of married people. Trust me, I know. But my friends have done such an amazing job of loving me well, and I think that's really rare. So today, I want to celebrate them. 

Dear married friend, 

I know our seasons of life are vastly different right now, but I just had a few things I wanted to share with you. 

I love you so much, and I am so thankful for you. 

Thank you for talking about your marriage openly and honestly. It is good for my fairy tale loving heart to hear that marriage is hard sometimes, there is compromise needed, and that a happily ever after takes real work. 

Thank you for inviting me over for dinner. Sometimes being single is amazing, and I eat a bowl of cereal for dinner, while watching Netflix, and not wearing pants. But often, I would just love to sit down to a home cooked meal with a table full of people that are in fact, wearing pants. Cooking for one is something I'm not a huge fan of. 

Thank you for showing me the real messes in your house. I love the Instagram ready and Pinterest perfect parts, but it really means a lot that you allow me to see the undone reality. It helps me feel a little bit more normal to know I'm not the only one that struggles with laundry and dishes. 

Thank you for not glamorizing my singleness, and keeping me in line about not glamourizing married life. Neither are perfect or magical all of the time. You have shown me that with your transparency, and honest views into your life. 

Thank you for including me. Sometimes just the offer to be apart of something means everything in the world. I appreciate not being excluded just because it might be awkward, but instead inviting me, and letting me choose for myself. 

Thank you for including me on lunch/play dates. I would love to have my own babies right now, but since that isn't happening, I really do love to hang out with yours, and watch them go down the slide 47 times. It really does make my heart smile. 

Thank you for letting me borrow your babes. Some days the baby fever is overwhelming, and just taking your kids to lunch, the movies, or out for ice cream helps fill that void. Also, thanks for trusting me to steal them for a few hours. 

Thank you for not making my singleness a huge deal. I love that you're not constantly trying to set me up, or making me feel like I'm incomplete because I haven't met that sweet man yet. 

Thank you for being my sounding board on what to wear for a date, and the sanity I need when I replay every thing over and over after the fact. (Hello. Maybe don't tell a guy, "I'm so glad you're not a murderer!" 103 times while at dinner... I know that now because of you, thanks.)

Thank you for celebrating my big moments, and crying with me during my rough seasons. It really does mean so much that you push pause on your busy life to make mine a little less lonely. 

Thank you for not marrying a loser, and for letting me see that husbands can actually be pretty cool. I love getting little glimpses of what really good, godly men look like. It helps me see what is truly important in a man, and I hold those qualities and tidbits in my mind ready for when I meet a guy. 

Thank you for calling and texting me for normal reasons, other than just needing a babysitter. I would love to watch your kids, but I also would love to know that our friendship isn't based on just that.

Thank you for cheering me on. Because of you, I know the best is yet to come, but this season right now is pretty amazing too. I will cherish every night that I can sleep in the middle of the bed alone, without a baby crying to wake me up. 

Thank you for going before me, so I can learn from you. I love the wisdom you impart, and I am excited for the day when I can use it. You are really smart, and the good and not so good in your life have taught me so much. Your advice is pure gold, and is often still rumbling around my brain years later. 

Thank you for praying for me when there just aren't any words left to say. Taking me to Jesus when I can't seem to get off the floor is one of the best things you can do, and you do it so well. 

Thank you for being you, and letting me be me. I love that you share your life and family so openly. You are a treasure. And I am one lucky and blessed girl. 

Love you. So much. 

M