Strange question you may ask? Who’s your 2 am friend? Or you might say it this way–who are your friends that you absolutely know you could call at 2 am if something bad just happened to you….

Humans weren’t created to be alone or isolated. There’s no better proof of this truth than what we read in Genesis 2: 18 “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Along comes Adam’s mate, Eve, in all her beauty and uniqueness as a female to be his companion, spouse, lover, and mother to his children. Together, they became quite the team.

The “second” definition of “community” is a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals (the sense of community that organized religion can provide) Today I want to expand my thoughts about community and its connection to the concept of having a 2 am friend…or more…

I am fortunate to have more than one 2 am friend. I actually have five such people in my life–all women by the way–and with the wonderful world of text messaging we can interrupt each other’s day with the simplicity of sending out one group  message. We share funny things that have happened in our families. We ask for prayer on a broad range of topics. We are open and honest–most of the time–on a variety of subjects that can cause many people to pull away or feel uncomfortable. We’ve known each other for over 30 years now–give or take a few–and affectionately refer to ourselves as “My Tribe”…one of our dear members calls us her “Warring Friends”….I usually speak of these women as “my tribe”….our daughter calls them “your praying mommas”….

I haven’t written a lot yet about my husband’s heart attack he suffered on January 31. A lot happened that day to prove how much a community of like minded friends….a “tribe” of 2 am friends were important to have in my life. I don’t believe it was ANY coincidence that on that Tuesday our group had been in a text thread for most of the day. Little did I know that at 4 pm I would need them in a way my mind wasn’t prepared for as I drove my husband to the nearest emergency room. Moving past the scene of him being put in a bed, numerous wires hooked up to his chest….hearing as though I was watching a movie “Mr. Kretchman , you’ve had a heart attack”…..”we are going to…..”  That’s when my mind literally went blank but also filled my thoughts with all kinds of questions at once, if that’s even possible.

I will never forget my own image I created around 5 pm. The ambulance team was on their way to another hospital for  Jim’s surgery and I found myself standing alone in the parking lot, holding two bags with his clothes and shoes. Who do I call first? My kids…..now what do I do? I messaged my tribe what had taken place and immediately they began responding “what can we do!?”

Within half an hour or so, Rick and Lisa arrived to drive me south to Trinity Health near Ann Arbor. With them was Deb, who drove my car to her home for safekeeping. The beauty of their helping me in my crisis was their selfless gift of taking care of me and later, loving on our children….going ahead of me (thank you Lisa the Bold!) to ask questions, get me to where I needed to be in a large hospital…my mind racing while still feeling paralyzed.

A recent message by one of our pastors highlighted my topic today…who are your 2 am friends? Our 7 year old granddaughter was with us in service that morning and even at her age she comprehended the idea as she leaned into me and whispered “Addie”….I, too, didn’t have to hesitate long answering the question. Who are my 2 am friends? Easy! Lisa, Cheryl, Deb, Robin, Janet.

Honestly, our “tribe” doesn’t sit around hoping or expecting tough stuff to come along that warrants initiating a group text calling out for help or prayer. We much prefer silly jokes, cute memes, or sharing a link from recipes to sermons…no, we all seek a peaceful blessed life as each one of us walks our journey God has for us. But! We know there is no hesitation to step into action when necessary, even when it means sacrificing time, material possessions, and changing up agendas. For that–and SO much more–I am blessed. I am grateful. I feel assurance that I am NOT alone in this journey we call “doing life together”.

I’m very grateful that God did not create us humans to be alone. I’m happy for modern technology that makes it possible to “call out” to my 2 am friends with one message through a group chat…that God connects me in ways unimaginable for times that are infathmobile. 

Who are your 2 am friends?