It started with a book. A gathering of four friends. A short drive and a walk along the beach where a lone mailbox marked “Kindred Spirit” was ready to capture our stories. Snippets of conversation floated on the ocean breeze and hidden desires filled each heart.
The book was centered around the story of a mailbox. Real-life reflected the stories of the kindred spirits who gather every November to catch up and fill their souls with love.
The Mailbox
If you are a fiction lover and favor romances, you may have read a book or two by Nicholas Sparks. A year ago, he published a book called, Every Breath. Many of his books are set in the North Carolina coastal region and this one is no exception. The story revolves around a mailbox, called Kindred Spirit, the letters found inside, and the creativity of Mr. Sparks as he weaves two characters together from two very different places.
The book’s storyline is written in typical Nicholas Sparks’ style but what mattered to the four women last week was as unique as each of the women.
The name, Kindred Spirit, was intriguing enough for me to want to know more. Then when you add in a mailbox filled with letters and stories I knew that this is every romantic’s dream come true.
The Four Women
Every year for the last five years, I have gathered with four women: Holly Solomon, Patricia Krank, and Debbie Kitterman. It began at a writer’s conference, continued as a Mastermind group, and now looks like four kindred spirits who love to gather around the table.
Describing what it feels like to be connected with these women is deeply spiritual and very personal. The bond we feel is all because God brought us together for such a time as this.
As we sat together Saturday morning, we all carried a longing to head home but were hesitant about leaving behind what God continues to graciously grow among us. The term bittersweet fits perfectly as we prayed and said our goodbyes.
Real-life saturates us with routines, to-do lists, and the hurry of trying to fit in one more thing. A week away is a perspective-changer for all of the ordinary life we let consume us every minute of every day.
This year the week was not only a gathering of kindred spirits but a long pause from life’s demands and heartaches. The time together was sacred and holy.
The Gift of Kindred Spirits
I pray all women receive the deep soul-filling of their own kindred spirits. I know God sure loves to see the fruit of the seed He planted five years ago.
The gifts that my friends and I experience are the result of honoring God with space for Him to lead us to a deeper connection. As God teaches the four of us, He also lays the foundation for kindred spirits everywhere to acquire His truth. God says to each of us:
You are known. God declares this over us as His children. My friends did the same in the very act of comfort and ease we shared with each other (John 17:20-26).
You are loved. God loves us more than we will ever love someone else and this is manifested in His 24/7 care of us. My friends show their love through shared meals, deep conversations, walks on the beach, and lots of laughter (1 Thessalonians 1:4-5).
I am Hope. God promises hope in Him. We just need to believe. It is easier said than done when life is full of loss. Last week was not only a time for fun but a return to the hope of God in our lives (Romans 15:13).
God never stops teaching us how to grow in relationship with Him simply by saying “yes.” A week away is a gift that never fails to restore my soul and rest my weary body. When you add in four friends to the mix, a week away is like finding the best treasure possible and sharing the spoils with each other.
I don’t know about you but even if we didn’t make the trek to the mailbox, we had exactly what we needed–each other. May you find exactly what you need this week along with many kindred spirit moments.
Four friends, a book, one mailbox, and a week together provide the backdrop for this week's post on kindred spirits. #newpost #TellHisStory #linkup Share on XBlessings,
P.S. Here is a picture of the four of us where our hair actually looks normal.
how wonderful!!!
So wonderful! Good to see you here, Sue!
What a great group of ladies! Thankful as well for kindred spirits…God’s gifts to us.
Thank you! It is not only a great group of ladies but a wonderful group of friends. Thank you for being here.
Mary, what a gift the four of you have found in each other! I’m so glad you were able to get away for this time of refreshment together. Hugs, friend!
God loves giving us gifts and the blessing of these three ladies is one of the best gifts I have. It was wonderful to rest, restore, and just be.
I love that you have friends who are kindred spirits, Mary. Truly a gift. I’m so glad you can get together and build each other up and that you can retreat from real-life’s demands and rejuvenate. Love and blessings to you!
I love it too. God has blessed us with a deep connection and the means to gather once a year. It is not something I take lightly. I pray you find the gift of kindred spirits too.
This is beautiful and sacred and life giving. laurensparks.net
GIFT.
🙂 Friendships like these are soul-filling treasures.
Four beautiful women! I love this so much, and seeing you all together brought me great joy!! Kindred spirits indeed!
Oh what a privilege & blessing you all share! Especially that you’re Christian writers too! 😀
Blessings,
Jennifer
It is a wonderful blessing. God knew we needed to connect five years ago. I pray you have kindred spirits in your life too.
I love this so much!!!
Awww! I am so lucky to share this gift of friendship.
I love that you all continue to meet. It warms my heart. I have three friends that I get together with several times a year since I was about 6 years old (so that’s a LOT of years! ha). There’s something special about maintaining sister bonds even when it’s not convenient.
Wow! You sure have longevity in your friendships. That must be so much fun. I agree that sister bonds are worth the time and intention.
I love both of those pictures of you lovely ladies! What a wonderful week away, Mary. I’m so glad you all had such a beautiful time of bonding and joy. Nicholas Sparks is an amazing writer. That mailbox was definitely a must-see stop for you all.
Yes, and you know all of these ladies. It was an amazing week and the stop at the mailbox was the icing on the cake. Good to see you here again.
No matter what the condition of your hair, I LOVE those pictures, but even more, I love the way you guys embody the importance of connection. It’s easy at our stage in life to imagine that we don’t need it; don’t have time for it; aren’t willing to risk it; fill in the blank with the multitude of excuses that prevent us from making deep connections with others.
You guys are great!
I love that you love the wild hair! 😉 It is easy to think of a million excuses as to why spending time with friends is not needed but I would be wrong every time. I am blessed to have these ladies as friends and to dive deep when we are together. I imagine we would do that if we ever met, Michele!
Thank you for sharing your special week away with all of us. Those kindred hearts that He sends to us are such precious gifts that do show us so much about His own love for us. His is the truest and best kindred heart of all. Blessings to you as you return back home.
You’re welcome. I love bringing you all along into my story. I am blessed to not only have kindred spirit friends but the love of the Father that is the best of all.
What a special gift such friends and friendships are! So glad you had a wonderful week!!
It is a special gift and one that I hope all women experience. It was the best week.
Mary, this sounds like a wonderful week. Spending time with friends is rejuvenating and relaxing. I love laughing and talking with my women friends. The mailbox just adds another level of excitement to a vacation that was already pretty exciting!
It was an amazing week. You are right that the mailbox added another level of excitement. I pray all women have their own kindred spirits.
Love love love this post! You have totally captured what last week was all about for us. Thank you for telling our story here!
I love that we spent a whole week together. What a gift it was to be with you, Patti, and Debbie. I sure wish we could do it more often. 🙂
Mary, thank you for sharing your friends and time away with us all. Such a gift for you all! I am so grateful our God knows exactly what we need and provides in the sweetest of ways.
You’re welcome! God knows us so well and He loves blessing us with exactly what we need. Thanks for being here.
I love that I’ve met two of you (you and Holly) ❤️ I try to stay away from Nicholas Sparks books (unless I need a good reason to sob 😂). In today’s crazy world it’s comforting to know that I am loved, known, and I have hope in Jesus.
And I love that I have met you. It seems so long ago now, doesn’t it? No need to read Nicholas Sparks but if you ever travel to the East Coast, North Carolina region, I think you would love the nostalgia and especially the stories in the Kindred Spirit mailbox. May we all feel loved, known, and find our hope in Jesus.
I love this so much. First, I thought you were going to say it was a book by MaryBeth Whalen titled “The Mailbox.” I’ll have to check out Sparks book.
I love that you make time with these people. I have a dear friend that I met at a conference that I meet with. She’s local and we have our own little mastermind once a month or so. It’s such a gift. And we were just at the conference again and talked about doing a mastermind with two of our other friends there. You convinced me to MAKE IT HAPPEN!
So glad you had a blessed time!
It sounds like there is another book about a mailbox. If you like Nicholas Sparks, you will like “Every Breath.” It is a gift to enjoy friendships but even more so when you desire to build into it so it grows. I’m glad you have a local friend to meet with. That’s even better. I hope you make your mastermind happen and that it blesses all of you.
Mary,
So good to see the four of you together and keeping the tradition going!! We ALL need kindred spirits to encourage us, listen to us, laugh with us, and do life together…what a gift!!
You all look wonderful even with “beach hair” lol.
Blessings,
Bev xx
You are too kind. We had beach hair most of the week so it was nice to feel less windblown. God knew what he was doing when he connected the four of us at Allume. I wish you had been able to make it so I could have met you. I pray you have some kindred spirits in your life too.
That you’ve experienced that beloved mailbox with your kindred spirit friends is such lovely gift, Mary.
Makes me want to reach for that book yet once again …
I’m guessing you read the book?? It was such a gift to sit with each other and read the stories left in the mailbox as well as add our own. Such a highlight for the week.
Good friends are a great treasure. Lovely that you had a week with yours! I haven’t read Sparks but I am intrigued with that mailbox.
I love the fact that there is a mailbox labeled kindred sports. With out our kindred spirits, life would be less fun. Glad you got away.
A week with good friends is even better. You don’t need to read Sparks’ book to go to the mailbox but it adds a sense of story and history to the place. Thanks for being here.