~Arthur Christopher Benson
What a joy it was to check my
Inbox this morning and find emails from dear friends who
were responding with excitement to yesterday’s post! Today I am particularly
grateful for the love and support of my friends.
Today I am thinking about what it means to be a friend. In this technologically driven age, true
friendship is a rare and beautiful thing. We like to connect with friends on
social media sites, but how often do we actually sit face-to-face with one of
them over a cup of tea and share our deep thoughts, our heart’s desires, life
challenges, our joys and sorrows? I admit I have a Facebook account, although I
don’t visit the site very often. It was fun to ‘join the party’ at first, but I
haven’t been good about keeping it updated. I think at this point I have 143
friends, but I haven’t met most of them! And many of them I haven’t seen in
decades.
What is a friend?
I’ll tell you a special person who comes to mind, someone who taught me what it means to really be present for someone in a time of need—her name is Lynn. About six years ago my beloved feline
friend and companion Mischa was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone
cancer. Mischa was in a great deal of pain and the vet told me it would only get worse. So I made that heart-breaking decision that we never want to
have to make, choosing a gentle and compassionate passing for her. In tears, I
called my friend Lynn the morning I got the news. Without a moment’s
hesitation, she said, “I’m coming right over.”
She wanted to make sure to catch me before I left for work, so she dashed over to
my house...bearing three gifts: Rescue Remedy to rub on the back of Mischa’s
ears, to help calm and comfort her; a beautiful purple heart-shaped quartz
crystal to attract healing energy; and this wonderful recommendation—that I
surround Mischa’s kitty bed with framed photographs of all the people who loved
her. Lynn’s loving gesture was healing balm for the soul, and brought some
comfort during a very painful time. The purple heart crystal is sitting on the desk as I write this. It's healing energy continues to bless my life.
Little did I know
then that I would have the sacred honor of being there for Lynn in her hour of
need, to walk with her during her struggle with cancer. I am grateful that I could offer her some solace in the form of affirmative prayer, rides to medical appointments, and just being on the other end of the phone during many tearful phone calls. There is no more
intimate or sacred act than being with someone as they prepare to pass from
this life, being there to just listen or offer a loving embrace or a prayer.
Lynn, thank you for teaching me what it is to be there for a friend in need.
Our friends are also the ones we want to share our greatest joys with. When we are feeling joyful, excited, inspired, what do we want to
do right away? We want to share our experience with a dear friend, someone who
will rejoice right along with us! Our happiness multiplies in sharing it with a
friend.
You know what it is that friends do? They draw forth the best and highest within us. They teach us how to love even more deeply. With any luck at all we also have friends who will not hesitate to speak up when they see us going off course. Our friends comfort, encourage, inspire, and challenge us to be all that we can be. How fabulous is that?!
In these turbulent
times of uncertainty and unrest, may we find solace and comfort in the company
of friends. May we express our appreciation in loving acts of kindness. May we
find opportunities to reach out and connect heart to heart, soul to soul.
Is there someone you would like to reach out to today?
Friends are my life, and, you just explained why. How lucky am I to have YOU as a dear friend??!
ReplyDeleteNice pic. That was a happy day, and, a great celebration.