Monthly Archives: May 2008

Women who have influenced me. (5 of 5)

Vickie Brauckmann

I met Vickie February of 2003 – the same day Kris Takle came into my life.  My relationship with Vickie has been one of the most defining elements in my life as an adult, as a woman, and as a friend. 

I have been blessed with many close friends.  This verity made moving to Oklahoma bittersweet.  But, I found a friend in Vickie.  She embraced me instantly.  She has also taught me the beauty in not only being a friend, but what it means to truly care for one.  You see, when Vickie is with you, she is with you.  You know those people that you talk to who are usually thinking of the next thing they are going to say instead of listening to you?  That’s not Vickie.  She lives in the moment with her friends.  She listens to them.  She is genuinely interested in what’s going on their lives. 

Her home is her haven, and she welcomes you…..really welcomes you into it.  When she invites you into her home, she makes you feel like you’re the only person that exists – and, she takes care of you to perfection.  And, when she invites you into her life, she invites you in for good. 

She is one of the most caring women I have ever met.   She can be trusted.  She is genuine to the core.  She is blessed but unpretentious.  She makes me proud to be a woman and even prouder to be a friend.

Vickie once gave me a beautiful kitchen towel that reads “Friends are relatives you make for yourself.”  No one emanates this adage better than Vickie. 

Because she and her husband, David, loved Kris so much, they also loved me.  I cannot say enough about their friendship.  They have believed in us and loved us with a love that is extraordinary. 

I moved to Oklahoma for love and found much more in my dear friend, Vickie.

….but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.  Proverbs 18:24

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Women who have influenced me. (4 of 5)

Kitty Grubbs

My relationship with Kitty began when I was only ten years old.  For the years that followed, I was connected to her as a piano student, a caregiver to her precious children (who are all grown up now), and through praise and worship.  Throughout these connections, we became friends.

Kitty imparted to me one of the greatest gifts I think exists in the world:  the gift of giving.  I can remember her buying me Easter dresses and my first prom dress just because she wanted to bless me.  Her giving continued throughout my adolescent years.  It wasn’t just the dresses or the piano lessons that she gave, but it was the heart and significance behind it.  And, she gave with no expectation.

She doesn’t give because her life has been without heartaches and broken roads.  She has endured more than most.  She gives because she chooses to live no other way.  Kitty understands and lives out that she is “His hands and His feet.”  She takes the call to be like Jesus seriously.  Like we all should.

I could say so much more about Kitty besides her generosity.  Like the fact that she loves and cares for people deeply.  That she seeks Christ for direction and listens….really listens to His voice.  That her dedication to the house of God has been steadfast.   And, how she always put her children first and took the role as a mother as her greatest call. 

Just as Kitty has blessed me, I hope I always bless others.  She gave, and she continues to give.  May we all receive the gift of giving and be more like Him.

But just as you excel in everything…see that you also excel in this grace of giving.  2 Corinthians 8:7

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Filed under gratitude, Relationships, Spiritual Journey