When I moved back to Utah last year, I was eager to make new friends. That is because when I left Georgia where I was living for two years, I left behind a great group of girlfriends that I still miss everyday. Yes, I can keep in touch with them via facebook and the blogs, and phone, but it is just not the same.
My ward was an older, more established ward with not a lot of young Moms. It was hard connecting with those few young Moms there were in the ward because we were only living there temporarily. So, I joined a website for Mommies in my city. Not expecting much, but still hopeful, I went to a few events, and didn’t really click with anyone. I was disappointed.
Then, one day, another Mom contacted me and we started emailing back and forth. She was from Georgia too. She and I had kids the same age, our husbands were in the medical field, we both had family in Texas. We had a lot in common. The list just goes on and on. One of our few differences was religion. She is Muslim and I am Mormon. I had never had a Muslim friend before, although growing up in Texas, I had lots of friends from different religions. However, I never had the chance to get to know anyone of the Muslim faith. Was I scared? No! I wanted a friend, and I didn’t care what shape, size, color, or religion it came in!
That may seem funny to some, but it was true for me at the time. I loved my friends so dearly in Georgia and I wanted that again here. The first time we got together, we had so much fun. Seven months later, and she is one of my closest friends here in Utah. It may seem ironic that I moved all the way out to Utah, and made a Muslim friend. But, I don’t care. I love having such a great friend.
I have found over these past few months that we have a lot in common in our religions too. We are not as different as I may have imagined before. We both have very conservative values and morals. We talk about religion fairly often, although that is not the main topic of conversation usually when we get together. The bond that binds us together, I think, is motherhood.
We are both stay at home Moms with college degrees that previously worked. We both are married, which in and of itself leaves a lot of conversation up for grabs right? I mean, what fun is it to have a girlfriend if you can’t gab about your husbands? We never run out of conversation with each other. There are many people of my faith, and of other faiths that feel that you can’t be friends with someone that may not think the same way you do about religion. After all, for those of us that are religious, it is a big part of who we are. But, I would venture to say that there is plenty to talk about. Plenty to bond over, and plenty that can make us friends. We talk all the time about how grateful we are for each other. I am so grateful that she loves me for who I am, and I feel the same way! So, if you haven’t made a friend of another faith. Try it. You just might find one of the best friends you’ve ever had.
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