18 May 2012

The Deep Beauty of Friendship

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We are well and happy. Life is good and we are so grateful for all our blessings, joys and the love we have in our lives. Right now there are some challenging things going on in these parts. I have had quite a few friends that have been keeping a closer eye on me than normal. I am so grateful for them. My appreciation for these dear ones has been greatly magnified and I have come to call them my "door is always open" friends.

These are the friends whose doorstep you could show up on in the middle of the night with tears in your eyes and they would gather you up and take you in immediately, no questions asked. They would silently find you a bed, take off your jacket & shoes, tuck you in and let you sleep and cry and sit and stare out the window.

They would give you a robe or a tracksuit and take your clothes and wash them and return them to your room neatly folded. In the morning they would nimbly move you out to a rocking chair on the front porch, wrap a blanket around your shoulders and let you rock and rock and rock.

They would periodically appear with a tray of easy to swallow food, cups of tea, bottles of water and fresh tissue boxes. Then they would wrap an arm around your shoulder and plant a kiss on the top of you head before disappearing again with nothing but the sound of the door closing as they returned into the house. And they would wait. They would let you mourn whatever it is that is hurting you. Wait for you to be able to talk, to tell them what happened and to let them love you more and more and help you back to wellness.

Rarely do we need friends on this level, but knowing they are there, just in case everything comes crashing down is one of the greatest comforts in life. Hopefully I will never show up on any of their doorsteps in the middle of the night in tears. But more importantly I hope they each know that my door is open too. That clean clothes, hot tea, a warm bed, and hugs and a kiss are waiting for them, heaven forbid they ever need it. I hope so very much that they know that.

More than anything I want to be that kind of friend. So many of my friends have moved far away over the past five years. I don't have as many chances to show them in person my friendship. But if any should ever show up on my doorstep, literally or figuratively, I will be there and ready. Love you friends. Have a happy weekend!

P.S. Last night I created a new Pinterest Board called Totally Totes. It's full of darling tote bags that have my creative juices flowing. You can see it here.

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