F R I E N D S

As the years pass and I am older and older...

I UNDERSTAND when people say over a lifetime you can often count the true friends on one hand. My lasting friends are not always down the street or across town- and sometimes we don't visit face to face for YEARS...but when we do it's JUST LIKE YESTERDAY-

My real friends whom I still cherish LET ME BE ME. They don't try to change me or pass judgement when I don't measure up.

With these friends we do not keep score- of how often one has called or written a note. We accept that LIFE crawls up and grabs us and sometimes does not turn loose. We cherish the memories we share from the past and relish in the NOW.

Reba, My first Christian friend from 1959 I still count as such...We catch up WHEN WE CAN. It's still precious. We are not at all alike-could hardly be more different but again there is a strong bond that begins with our faith and our history.

One friend  *[Shirley]  still in southeast Texas, I might count as the best friend of a lifetime...and while  we could hardly be more different personalities there is an amazing bond. I believe it to be our faith.

Our life journeys have  hardly been similar and I don't pretend to understand 'what makes her tick."

I have no doubt she would say the same about me but we overlook those things and accept each other 'warts and all.' 

Several of these friends are 10 hours or more away..with Pam who is now in S.C. we made a pact to keep the relationship alive...we call [or try to] every SATURDAY MORNING. That's what is often needed -

an intentional effort to nurture the relationship.

  All treasured friendships are not the same-because we are  different and bring different gifts and needs to the relationship.

* Shirley lost her years long battle with cancer this year. The first diagnosis was in 1994

Then the cancer just kept coming back again and again  until it finally won but  Shirley was so ready to go..Only God Himself knows how many people she shared Christ with in clinics, hospitals and doctors' offices (*and yard sales) over all those years.

Back Tracking....

Back tracking is something I always told the children to do when they lost or misplaced something. I would often say: "Just retrace your steps-Back track."

That's still what I tell myself when I suddenly find something necessary is not where it is supposed to be....my telephone, a piece of jewelry, a garden tool.

Well ladies I'm reminding myself today of the significant number of wonderful, unique Bloggers I try to visit regularly have been ignored (not forgotten) for quite some time and it bothers me.  I am  motivated not because  I think you will feel badly towards me...but because I am missing you. I am missing your wonderful creativity,  your open honest writing, all the fun beautiful spirit and personalities.

So I am here to try to reconnect and truly, selfishly to enrich and encourage myself as I travel across the country  by way of this technology, and back track reading what you have  shared in recent months.

I sincerely pray that you have not been dealing with heavy issues or great sadness but we all know life goes on whether we are faithful and attentive to our blog audiences or a total 'no show' as I have been.

I cannot promise - but I will TRY-