I'm Glad That You're My Friends

Family & Friends are the best!

You may have noticed that I am obsessed with the topic of friendship this week. There are several reasons for this. My new freedom to travel had me itching to see lots of old friends, but I haven't actually gotten to do much of that yet.- which makes me miss them even more. The novel I am trying to right is all about old friends and relationships that stand the test of time, and the grace that comes though those friendships. So yes- it is fair to say my mind had been totally immersed in thoughts of old friends this week.

Inspiration can come in strange places at strange times. Our maid Agnes (Who is actually me. For those of you who don't know, Agnes is my alter-ego. I turn into Agnes whenever I am house cleaning!) was cleaning one of our bathrooms yesterday afternoon and thinking about how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends, and what a technological miracle it is that I can stay in touch with them on a regular basis these days. It never fails to light up my life to get a ping on my phone indicating I have a new text message, or to find I have a new Twitter mention from one of my buddies there. This past week I wrote about the benefits of friendship and heard from numerous people on the subject. And then yesterday I got a phone call from a friend I have known over 40 yeas that put the sunshine back in what had been a very "down" day. These events remind me that there are people who care about me, and are reminders of the power of friendships old and new. There is a calligraphy hanging on the wall of that bathroom that has a lot to say about the blessings of friendship. So rather than bring all of you to our bathroom, I share it here for you.

Sometimes I view the pattern of my life and say a prayer

A prayer of thanks for many things I see so lovely there

And woven into this pattern is a shining golden thread

Reflecting something kind you've done or something nice you've said

And so I want to tell you that the peace and joy you lend

Can make one's life so rich and sweet

I'm glad that you're my friend.

Thanks be to God for filling my life with people who make me smile, bring me encouragement and make this world a far better place than it would be without them. And yes- I mean YOU! I hope you have a blessed and wonderful weekend! 

Because of Jesus,