Friend & Friendship Contest Winner!

This LO so deserved to win!! The journaling brought me to tears!

There were soooooooooooo many wonderful layouts, that we wanted to give out a few Honorable Mentions as well (in no particular order):

"Childhood in my Heart" By: themacmomma

"Dear Oprah" By: corrinnedelis

"My Little Friend" By: Dayami

"Perfect Day" By: breannec

"My Girlfriends: By: kiber

All of the Honorable Mentions will be receiving a special prize as well.

Hidden Journaling:

My friend, Sherri, is also my hero and inspiration. When we first met, 20 years ago, neither of us imagined the dreams we would share, the challenges we would overcome or the grief we would experience together. We just knew at the time that we “clicked”. We both loved shopping, especially at second-hand stores, and wewere deeply involved in church activities together. She admired my creativity and I was in awe of her voice. She sings like an angel. I often joke that when we get to heaven, I hope my mansion is next to hers so I can listen to her sing all day. I already had 3 children, but was blessed to share in the birth of Sherri’s 3 beautiful children.Our families often got together for a cookout and fellowship. We were happily zipping through life and raising our children when Sherribegan to notice that Blake, her oldest, was having some “problems”He was soon diagnosed with a rare degenerative disorder called A.L.D.Blake’s only chance was a bone marrow transplant, which he received on his 8th birthday. Blake was a valiant little fighter and pulled through, although he is profoundly disabled. Since the disease is hereditary, Sherriand her husband had the other 2 children tested and the results were positive. A.L.D. is not fatal to females, so Elizabeth, her middle child isa carrier, but Phillip, the youngest also needed a transplant. They decidedto give him that chance. Although he had not yet had any symptoms of the disease, it was his only chance for survival. Phillip came through with flying colors and was sent home after a few months. Several weeks later, he developed pneumonia and was taken to a children’s hospital in another state. We were with Phillip’s family when he went home to Jesus a few weeks later. He was 5 years old. Since then, we’ve walked through numerous other trials together, including numerous problems of my own and Sherri’s divorce. Now she is a single mom raising a teen-aged daughter and a disabled son. Blake is 18 and I’ve watched Sherri walk this walk for over 10 years now. I’ve never seen a woman go through the flames with more grace than Sherri. She took online classes and earned her degree in social work for the sole purpose of extending her hand to others. Her main focus in life remains her children. She is an amazing woman. Her faith has grown by leaps and bound where others with lesser character would have been crushed. She is not bitter or full of self pity. She is first on the scene when I need a word of encouragement or just someoneto listen. She is full of a wisdom that has only come at a great personalsacrifice. I am so honored and blessed to call Sherri “FRIEND”.