I really enjoy the ladies’ bible study on Friday night. We study together, discuss the text, confide in each other, and sometimes just joke around. It’s encouraging and uplifting to spend time with other disciples of the Lord. Iron sharpens iron. Time together, a break from the week’s work, is something we dearly need, and can’t do without. What a refreshing way to wash off the worries of the week!

We joined a double celebration this weekend: my friend, Monica, turned seventeen on the day her father returned home from America! (He had been repairing damage done to property during hurricane Sandy.) You could see the joy in their faces, and it warmed me to share in their happiness. There was a cornucopia of traditional foods, a dozen merry guests, two beautifully decorated cakes, and one very happy birthday girl! It isn’t the decorations, the venue, the gifts, or even the food that make a party; it’s the people.