I chose BRAVERY and I got a Beautiful Friendship
“You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 MSG
My word for 2018 is BRAVE. I wasn’t sure what this would look like and as I look back on my life, I do not think of me as BRAVE. But sometimes life changes, and as you reflect, you see what you didnt see before.
Today I want to share with you a time when I was BRAVE and didnt realize it. This step of BRAVERY has blessed me with a beautiful friend…who is very important to the future of Motivated by More.
Its so important to find those people in life that make you a better person. About 6 years ago I saw a women sitting in the mall play area with 2 boys. My son came over & said “hey mom, that lady over there is the mom of a new boy in my preschool.” Starving for adult conservation I marched right over & introduced myself. I am sure I was verbal tornado and as I chatted away with my new found friend, Barb.
Six years later, Barb is one of my people. She has been a great friend and prayer warrior. We have worked out together, scheduled many play dates, weekly coffee dates, Marco Polo buddies, traveled together to MomCon a number of times, and we just have fun around each other. She always listens when I need someone to vent to and is someone who will give me Godly advice. I am a better person because of her friendship.
About a year ago, I was struggling to keep up with social media and clients. During our weekly coffee date I began to share my vision for MBM and vented to her about the obstacles I was facing. Following our time together I prayed God would send me some folks who I could barter with and help me with some of my business tasks that were taking up a lot of time. Barb immediately came to mind. I had read some of her stuff, mainly from her annual Christmas letter, but something told me she was a really gifted writer. She also knows my heart so well, so when I brought up the idea she was all in. What a blessing!
This past year has been a rough one for Barb. Her family found out about this time last year that they would be moving but there were many different moving parts they didnt know many details. It was months before they found out the details, and about 9 months before they finally packed up their home in Decatur and moved 7 hours away. The not knowing took a toll on her. She went into mamma bear mode as she tried to prepare herself and her family, mentally & physically for the big move.
Although there are many miles between Barb & I, our friendship is stronger than ever. She is a constant for me. A friend forever.
I am happy to say that she is finding her way in her new town, and has started writing again for me. She has a heart of gold and like many women, a story to be told. I wanted to introduce her to you all so you have the opportunity to meet my dear friend! I hope her words are a blessing to you…I know they are to me!
My name is Barb Raddatz. I am a mother to two very energetic boys, Brayden, 10, and Bennett, 6 and I am a wife of 16 years to my amazing husband, Brandon. I am a stay at home mom who loves pedicures, manicures, massages and shopping, all of which I do weekly. Umm, in my dreams! I am a farm girl from Nebraska who grew up with the love of 3 things, faith, family and Husker Football. Since marrying my husband in 2002, we have lived in Red Wing, MN; Mankato, MN; Mt. Zion, IL; Valdosta, GA and now Forsyth. Yes, my husband works for ADM. In my spare time you will find me reading a good book, crafting anything (wreathes are my fave) or just enjoying being mom to my boys, playing sports, attempting ps4 or playing board games. That’s me in a nutshell!
Friends, when you find your tribe. Love them hard!
**go to my FB page tomorrow & hear all about her move in her words.
