Haley Brooke!

This is Haley.

(Haley,I know this picture was taken a couple years ago (before your braces got taken off), but it is one of my favorite pictures of you!

Haley has been one of my best and most faithful friends. I wish you all knew her.

Yesterday was her 16th birthday! HaPpY bIrThDaY to my sweet friend!

    Haley and I used to do a lot of stuff together. We used to ski together and make epic crashes into icy little trees...that ended well for only me. We used to talk and walk and share our hearts...we still do, but without the walking. We share a mutual love of chocolate and coffee...i think food in general makes us both happy. We both love to read and write...I better stop with the mutual interest thing...the list would be really long if I got into every little detail :). When we visit eachother we dance, sing, laugh, eat, take long walks, and just be totally unreserved...I'm not going to go into any detail because it would be way long and some things are better left put simple...with snickers from those who know how we are really).  Well we used to do a bunch of stuff physically together, but I moved away and you would think that it would be harder to keep up a relationship, but I think that God strengthened it and drew us closer together. . Now we look forward to visits(in which we do all the stuff listed above(except the skiing), we talk on the phone, write letters, email, and send 12 Days of Christmas boxes!

    Anyway, I love Haley because she loves the Lord and seeks after Him. She is also concerned for the spiritual condition of her family and friend's souls, which I appreciate. I have enjoyed our times of encouraging one another and sharpening each other. Haley is thoughtful, deep, funny, beautiful, generous, loving, understanding, creative, helpful, and soo many other things! I am blessed to be able to call her my friend. I love you, Haley, and I can't wait to see you!

Haley sent this poem to me in one of the Christmas boxes...this is exactly how I feel about her:

“Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are -- chaff and grain together -- certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.”