This is it; the last day of the May challenge is here.

Today I am sharing a vivid memory and I have been thinking about this topic all week. 

The one I’m going to share is actually related to a number of previous topics. By that I mean it could replace any of these past posts: “letting go,” “a childhood story,” “uncomfortable,” “slow and steady,” “I’ll never forget,” “so embarrassing,” “a lesson,” and “bittersweet.” So it would seem that I can’t finish this challenge without including it somewhere.
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When I was about 14 or 15 years old I attended a Girl’s Camp for my church. It’s designed specifically for girls between the ages of 12 and 17 and a few dozen adult leaders scattered in. We drive about three or four hours into the woods, pitch tents, and camp in the dirt for nearly a week.


When we arrived, I was assigned a 12-man tent with nine other girls. As I got to the tent, six of the girls had already claimed the back half so I put my stuff in the front with the three remaining girls. 

Of the six girls in the back, three of them had been my really good friends at some point. Within a few hours, I was told that all six of those girls had said they didn’t like me. 

When I heard this I asked, “even (this person)?” “(This person) too?” 
Even the ones who I had considered good friends at one point were included in this mix.

Usually it’s easy to know who does and doesn’t like you. Not everyone gets along and not everyone likes everyone else but to find out that all these girls didn’t like me, I crumpled inside. I felt so humiliated and like a complete outsider. I stood there wishing the entire earth would swallow me whole. I felt so betrayed, so embarrassed, so stupid for thinking, for believing that these people had been my friends. 

Maybe I shouldn’t have trusted it but I did. I had to accept what they were telling me was true. Everywhere I went I felt like they were whispering about me, saying rude things behind my back. I felt so out of place I didn’t know where to go or what to do.

I was trapped in the mountains, in the middle of who knows where, and I was stuck. 

Every day, every moment after that is a complete blur but I have never forgotten that experience and it has affected my life ever since. 

It’s changed how I make friends, who I trust, when to lower my very high wall. There are always going to be people in the world like this but I have the ability to choose how they will affect my life. 

As few or far between, I feel truly lucky to have the friends I do. I am so grateful for them and am glad they have stayed in my life throughout the years. 

A good friend, an honest and loyal friend is a true blessing.