the family you choose.

"Friends are the family you choose for yourself."

I'm still not sure what prompted me to do it.  But I asked them to dinner.

It was a bit out of my comfort zone, going up to complete strangers and asking them to come to our home, but it felt right at the moment.

I turned around in church that day because I heard a baby who sounded almost the same age as my own baby.  I noticed that her parents were visiting the church and were about our age.  Also, he had "the haircut".  They're probably Air Force, I whispered to my husband.  Let's go introduce ourselves.

And so after the service ended, we did.  They were Air Force (the haircut never lies, you see).  And their daughter was similar in age to Hadden.  They were new to the area.  And they were living in an empty house with only the supplies as they carried in their car as they waited for the movers to bring the rest of their things.

Come over for dinner!  I said, remembering when we visited a church and someone said the same to us.  We hurriedly exchanged phone numbers, scribbled on the back of the bulletin and I promised to contact them soon.

Later that week they came for dinner.  Their household goods still hadn't arrived so we urged them to come another time and use our washer and dryer rather than camping out at a laundromat.  One dinner lead into another which led into them inviting us over which began an unending cycle.

That was the beginning of a great friendship.

Today our children, now toddlers, greeted each other with with glee.  We get together often, sharing meals and taking turns babysitting.  Neither of us attend the church where we first met, so we kept each other updated as we visited churches and, eventually, each found the right fit for our family.  I know that I could call at any hour and they would be at our door to help if we needed it. 

There is much more I could say about our friendship, but I'll leave it at this: they are the family we have chosen.

Sometimes I think about what we would be missing if we hadn't gone up to them that day at church.  We would have missed out on true friends (the kind with whom you can be relaxed and comfortable), a ridiculous amount of laughter, our son's first friend, and the best Mexican food of my life.

The next time you meet someone new, take a step outside your comfort zone and invite them to dinner because it might just be the beginning of a lifelong friendship!