Friday, September 27, 2013

An Ode To Friendships




We are created to be relational. At the very core of our being, hard-wired, in our DNA, we all desire and seek out relationships. Without them, we are one dimensional, self absorbed narcissists who traverse through life without meaning.
I know that my life would be so much duller without my friends, and many a crisis would have seemed insurmountable without the aid of at least one, if not many of them that "had my back".

Friends will love you, help you, care about you, disappoint you, and at times they will also hurt you - sometimes intentionally or unintentionally, and sometimes with a purpose, other times completely unaware. Friends are bosom buddies, casual acquaintances, kindred spirits, childhood sidekicks, and neighbors who share a common fence. There are the ones that you should keep close, and there are the ones that you will want to keep at arms length. The ones who would die for you, and the ones who wouldn't even cry for you. The ones who are only capable of surface talk, and the ones who will bare their soul, and you yours, to become that friend that transcends dimensions of space and time to become something undefinable, and yet you know that they are one of life's greatest treasures. There are conditional friends, and unconditional. Fair weather friends, and stormy weather friends. There are the ones whom time stands still for, and no matter how many hours, days or years may separate you, it is as though the separation was nothing more than a comma in the sentence of your lives. You are able to pick up the conversation as though you never left it.

There are the ones who will sit and listen, there are ones who will do all the talking. There are the ones who will wipe your tears and the ones who will tell you to stop the tears. Those who will hold your hand as you navigate the rocky terrain of parenting, offering words of wisdom and gentle guidance when you have felt helpless. Those who were a haven when it seemed hopeless.  The ones who have laughed with you in that visceral place that left you breathless and then cried with you in that same place that came from deep within your soul that needed no explanation. Some will even, without a word, know you so intuitively that they just "get you".  Some with whom you share a trust that is unspoken but it doesn't diminish the loyalty - these friends are rare and it requires transparency to cultivate them, and patience while it develops and grows into something remarkable that some people never experience because of the risks involved. These are the friendships that you want to safeguard because of their incomparable worth.

All of these friendships have a unique purpose in our lives. Sometimes it will be for no other reason than to make it abundantly clear to you that their example is not one you wish to emulate, and you are left with the resolve that you will purpose to do whatever it takes to not be that type of friend. Then there are the ones that you just know, will be given a special reward someday because they are a living, breathing embodiment of an angel.

Friendships are a little piece of Heaven on earth. I thank God for all of my friends, each of which have left footprints on my heart and I will never be the same.





1 comment:

  1. I am just reading this for the first time. Nicole, you are the kind of friend who proves her loyalty in so many ways, big and small. You shared your girls with our family and you were there in some of our toughest times. You are a gift, and l am so very grateful for you.

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