The inspiration behind my first product release
Friendship is one of my most favorite things in the whole world. I have personally benefited from all kinds of friends. Good friends, acquaintances, school friends, youth group friends, teammates, work friends, mom friends. Most of these friendships were defined by an activity or life phase. There's give and there's take. These friends weave in and out, most of them are temporary by definition, but still sweet and meaningful and to be treasured.
But a true friend. True friends are not easy to find.
When I think about a true friend, I think about these characteristics... loyal, honest, safe, trustworthy, sincere. I think about these activities...laughter, breaking bread, adventure, mourning, celebration. True friends are those people you not only want to BE WITH, but people you'd like to BE MORE LIKE. True friends are the ones you call on during your best times and your worst times. The ones who feel the same no matter how much time has past. The ones who require forgiveness to be given and received. Because true friends are around longer than acquaintances. You're bound to hurt one another eventually. And a true friend doesn't run away after an infraction. They lean in and they let you know that they're not going anywhere.
No, true friends are not easy to find.
I believe having one true friend can make a profound difference in a person's life. These are the people who are central to most of our stories. The people who stand in our weddings and sit with us at funerals. They bring meals. They provide accountability. They give you the benefit of the doubt. As a child, a true friend can change the course of a school year. They can be a source of confidence against fear and a source of joy in the face of sadness. They can bring a sense of belonging when feeling shy or uncertain. We are praying and will continue to pray for one (yes, one) like-minded true friend for each of our children as they navigate each year and then the next.
And we all know that in order to have a friend, you must first be a friend. There have been and there will be more times when this is so very difficult. Other kids will not be good friends. Our kids will not do it perfectly either.
Introducing the True Friend Tee
The "True Friend" tee is all about introducing our kids to the idea of being a good friend. Identifying themselves as such. Again, it doesn't mean they'll always be a perfect friend. It does mean that they're in the process of learning what it means to be true. They're learning about how forgiveness is required if a relationship is going to stand a chance. And it means they're expecting to be treated well by the friends they are choosing to do life with.
My hope is that each one of my tee shirt designs will start conversations. Conversations between you and your child. Conversations between your child and their friends. Conversations between you and your friends. And yes, conversations with strangers. I love when someone asks me "what does your shirt mean?" and I have a chance to tell a story.
A story about my friend who beat cancer.
A story about the family camp we go to each summer with three other families who are some of our most favorite people in the world.
A story about how I'm teaching my child to value and treasure friendship.
Each and every detail of these shirts is intentional and by design, from colors, to fonts to scheduling. The True Friend shirt was designed with big, bold lettering in an all caps font to be a proud declaration. An announcement that "you can come sit with me". A reassurance to someone looking across the playground lonely and looking for a friend. Releasing in two colors, I pass all of my heather gray shirts down between my boys and girl. I also think pink is a perfect shirt for both boys and girls and would be fabulous right around February 14. Sizes will restock, this first release is simply limited by budgeting. Shipping is always FREE! :)
I hope that when your child wears this shirt, they will look at themselves in the mirror and believe that they can and should be a true friend to everyone they meet. I totally believe in self-fulfilling prophecies, esp with kids...if you call your child kind, they will become more kind, or if you call your child lazy, they will gravitate toward laziness, etc. So when they wear a shirt that identifies them as a true friend, I pray that they will step into that role and believe that they ar
I hope you're inspired by this first release and will stick around for all that is to come. Thank you for allowing me to be a voice of encouragement and support for you as you do the most important job in the entire world, mama.