Gold.

“Taylor, you probably know why I’m calling…. Ryan asked me to marry him! I’m engaged!”

Those last two words caused me to let out a small scream of excitement in the toy aisle of Target. Of course I knew. I was Madison’s best friend. Ryan had sent me pictures of the ring, and had bounced ideas off my head since early August. I had been keeping the secret for months. Every Tuesday and Thursday at our coffee dates, we would sit in the gold chairs, drink our Starbucks, and chat about life. That secret sat on the tip of my tongue, just waiting until that day in October when it could finally be spoken of. It’s hard to keep a secret from your best friend. It’s even harder to keep a secret from her that will bring her so much happiness and happiness has not always been the case.

So finally the ring had been placed on her finger, and we could finally talk about it. Yes, it was fun to hear all about the adventure to Turner Falls, the question, and the fireworks. (Yes… Fireworks. Don't worry, you can watch it all unfold here.) But what I wanted to talk about was the journey. The journey to where she is—where we are— now. 

A year ago, the thought of having a ring on her finger would’ve been absurd. A wedding was out of the question, and we were simply trying to make it through Structural Concepts of Arithmetic, and to Christmas break. Now, there is absolutely no reason to dwell on the past, especially when the past cannot be changed. Instead, I’ll count my blessings that have come about from our past.

Blessings come from brokenness. Though it’s close to impossible to view a break up as a “blessing” during your heartache, time will heal, and bloom in to something wonderful. The sweet science of each of our break-ups was the not what was lost, but what was gained. We may have cried, we may have been hurt, but in reality, at least there was a “we.” We were in it together, and we served a Faithful God. No matter how long it took or how messy it got, I knew Madison would never leave me, and I would never leave her. Because one relationship ended, an even better one began! I've been so blessed to have Madison as my best friend through the mountains and valleys in life. We were able to cling to the promises that our Lord would never forsake us, and this was all apart of the process to grow and refine us.

Gold can’t be gold until it has been refined. Refine means to be freed from impurities and unwanted materials. It means to be polished, and perfected. Now, I know that sounds harsh, but hear me out. Every temptation we face, every pain we endure, every trial we go through is the way the Lord is refining us. Those hurdles make up the "element" of us. They aren't meant to break us down, but to build us up and make us stronger. (1 Peter 1:6-7) Don't get me wrong, the fire is hot, yet melts the gold into exactly what it needs to be. 

No one said the gold didn’t feel the fire. They just said it didn’t fear it.

After it has been heated, the gold is malleable and can be molded to create beautiful things ( ...like wedding rings!) We have been put here to create, to lead, to love, to dream, and to grow. My favorite part is that we are never done being molded. The Lord is not finished with our hearts, and for that I am beyond thankful. He has proven Faithful time after time, and I'm certain that will continue to hold true. I cannot wait to see what He has in store for me, and for Madison.

And so begins the wedding planning with my best friend. We love weddings, and will make a wonderful team preparing for wedded bliss. I thank God for the wonderful kindhearted girl He has placed in my life to walk with me in all of the crazy stages, and I can't wait to tackle some more. A true friend is hard to find, but once they are found, they are worth more than all of the gold in the world, and thankfully, I have found that. I hope that each one of you has the joy of being "rich" with a friendship as wonderful as mine. 

 “[We] have completely disproven my concept of friendship and it truly is one of the greatest blessings.”