Amy Weatherly - Ill Be There (But Ill Be Wearing Sweatpants): Finding Unfiltered, Real-Life Friendships in This Crazy, Chaotic World

Amy: To C, B, and M, who have changed me and inspired me since the day you were born. This book is for you three. Love Jesus. Know yourself. Do life with people. And remember that wherever the road takes you, whichever path you choose, Im here for it. Im here for you and Im cheering you on wildly from the sidelines. I love you through the moon. (But please learn to throw away your trash, okay? Im really tired of picking it up.)

To Brandon, who has kept me laughing from day one. Thank you for basically locking me out of the house and forcing me to go write even when I wanted to sit on the couch and pretend like deadlines didnt exist. None of this would have happened if you hadnt lovingly nagged me. You are my home and my favorite person on this planet.

To my mom and dad. Your support has meant everything.

To the friends who have showed up, stayed with me, and taken me exactly as I am. I could never thank you enough. You make life so full and so fun and I am so, so grateful. You know who you are.

* * *

Jess: To Graham, who championed me and believed in me before I believed in myself. To my mom, who inspired me to be a writer, and my dad, who thinks Im amazing even when Im not. To my friends new and old, who have been the inspiration behind every word of this book. To Malachi, Scout, Oaklee, and HavenI pray you build amazing friendships throughout your lives (and sorry about all the screen time and frozen pizza while I wrote this book).

To every girl and woman who has ever felt alone, may this book be the beginning of a beautiful journey to friendship.

We didnt write this book alone. We could have. Both of us are fully capable of penning these lessons and scripting these stories all on our own, but we didnt want to. In our guts, we knew it wasnt supposed to be a solo effort. It was supposed to be done together.

We knew there was something beautiful and significant and poignant about birthing this book on friendship through the work of our own friendship.

We love how this friendship has grown us and how it has carried us through some tough times. We love how this friendship has endured, and we love how it came to be.

It wasnt by accident.

We connected through blogging groups, and it didnt take us long to realize we were cut from the same cloth. We quickly bonded over our love of the Enneagram, Mexican food, going commando in leggings, and sharing way too much information with people we hardly know.

Our first conversations were hours long. We talked about everything from pop culture to whether Topo Chico or La Croix was better. We found it natural to chat and to laugh, and we found it equally easy to dig into the nitty-gritty of our lives and hearts.

We built safety and trust as we shared our real-life struggles and our real-life desires, particularly on the topic of sisterhood.

As the days and months passed and our friendship grew, we talked about how independent the world had become and how much we longed to make a difference.

We talked about our heartbreaks, our years spent in loneliness, and all the times we wondered what the heck was so wrong with us that we didnt have any friends. We talked about our stories of redemption and how we had both come to build some amazing friendships.

We dreamed of conferences and speaking on stages. We dreamed of books and communities and giving women a space to come alive, a space to feel accepted, and a space to feel secure. And we dreamed of strong relationshipsthe kind of relationships we knew these women craved deep down.

And before we knew it, our own tiny corner of the internetSister, I Am With Youcame to be.

We poured into that place. We prayed over that place. We wrote our hearts out. We watched this tiny spark become a fire, and we watched that fire grow and burn and light up women from all over the world, from all different ages and walks of life.

Every word of this book was born from our hearts, our stories of struggle and loneliness as well as precious friendships. But this book was also born from our friendship. It was born through late-night texts of I dont think I can do this. It was born through a hundred phone calls of laughing, venting, and encouraging. It was born through Its going to be okay, I promise and We can do this, Im sure. It was born through Have I told you lately how much I love you and how amazing you are? It was born through random selfies of our double chins just to make each other laugh. It was born through flowers sent just because. It was born through a surprise package of Ted Lasso stickers, and it was born in the year 2020 when absolutely everything was in upheaval and we needed sisterhood more than ever.

The message of this book is simple: lets not do life alone; lets do it together. And thats exactly how this book was writtentogether.

We can honestly tell you that although we could have written it separately, this book is a million times more beautiful because we created it with each other.

We dont know what your story has been; we dont know what brought you here today; we dont know what heartbreaks youve suffered; we dont know what beautiful friendships youve had and have. All we know is were so glad youre here.

This is our prayer for you:

Dear Jesus,

We pray for the one who is lonely. Weve been there, and weve felt it. We know how excruciating it can be.

We pray for the one who wonders if shes too much, not enough, and for all the women who teeter-totter back and forth between these two extremes.

Show her that theres nothing wrong with her; she just hasnt met the right people yet.

Show her that she is held, that shes victorious, and that shes your most marvelous creation. Encourage her heart, and fill up her mind with all the beautiful thoughts you have for her. Let her know we need her here because what she brings is priceless and unique.

We pray for the one who feels defeated, for the one who doesnt know how to begin, and for the one who is exhausted. Would you bring her peace? Would you bring her comfort? Would you bring her friends? Highlight the ones she should pursue, and let there be opportunities to meet new people in the most unexpected ways. Give her the bravery it takes to be authentic, and vulnerable, and real, and give her the courage to try.

We pray for the one who has a broken heart and wounded wings and is afraid to fly again. Patch her up. Wrap her in care, and set her free.

And most of all, help her feel completely lovedfrom the top of her messy bun to the bottom of her feet, even her toenails that badly need a pedicure.

Shower her with grace and an abundance of rest. Fill her heart with hope and her mind with peace, and let her wake up with energy, excitement, and the very fullest of hearts.

Let this book meet her where she is. Use the stories to help her feel seen and these words to help her feel valued. Let the things she finds here stick with her, and let them change her.

And please, let this book help her smile too.

Amen.

love,

Amy and Jess

Oh hey, were Jess and Amy. We want to talk about friendship, but were not just talking about the kind of friendship that puts on lipstick and pants with zippers and orders something fancy at a nice restaurant (although thats fun sometimes). Were talking about the kind of friendship that gets raw and gritty. The kind of friendship that is built for real life and running errands. The kind of friendship that is safe for big feelings, deep secrets, and laughing so hard you snort. The kind of friendship that stays through for sickness, health, anxiety, and announcements like Hey, something is hanging out of your nose.