Characters are People with Skin on!

Today's topic is Character. I'm tattling on some of my best buds because these gals have got character out the wazoo!



First there's Cindy, far right. Cindy is one busy lady, well, we all are. But with all she does she is still always willing to babysit for folks in a pinch, make a meal, or do a hospital visit and it's all very quietly done. No tooting horn here! For all her laid-back ways, she is also one of the most organized ladies I know - she has to be to keep our Sunday morning services straight. She makes sure the ministers, singers, even the sound and lighting folks, all know the plan.

Priscilla is on the other side, in the red. She, like Cindy, has the most generous heart. Her house is usually full of my kids as well as hers, and she never allows me to sink so deeply into my writing that I forget to get out and mingle. She has amazing recipes, a sharp wit that often leaves me rolling, and a sensitive spirit that makes sure no one is left out. I don't think she would be afraid to take any dare!

Next, in the blue, is Kim. She is just, stinkin' amazing. I could be jealous of her size, but she works her tail off, literally, to stay there. Kim is brilliant; calculus and physics are fun to her. Can you believe that? She tutors and teaches as well as keeps up a small business and chases after 4 girls that look just like her. Unlike both Cindy and Priscilla, Kim's personality is coupled with a dry sense of humor. I never thought about it before, but the main character in my romantic suspense novel acts a lot like Kim. I don't think I did that on purpose, though. Really, I promise!

I make up the last and I have to say that I would never have used this picture if it hadn't been such a good one of the buds! *grimacing - bad angle - no makeup!* We're like a double-stuffed Oreo. (No, I didn't come up with that one. That was a Prissism.) Seriously, we really are and it's not just because Kim and I are lily-white and Prissy and Cindy have the exotic-cultural thing going on. We function differently, react differently to the same prompts. Our Spiritual gifts are different and so is the way that we work within the body.

But our goals are the same. We're all raising 4 kids (except Cindy, the defiant one who decided to stop at 3) and we all homeschool. We're all on the same page with the way we want to strengthen our marriages and socialize our kids, even though we raise them differently. We hunger for the Lord and the messages He has for us. We strive to follow Him, and when we fail, our buds are there to make us laugh and help us get back on the path.

These gals are characters. Each one of them worthy of a starring role in any book.  I'm just thankful that God put them in my life!

Who are the characters in your life?