my true gems

Friends are the gems, some of my greatest treasures, in my life. I am not sure one can put into words the meaning of friendship without losing some of the depth of what this really means. More often then not, I feel incredibly blessed with the circle of friends in my life. And never before have I needed the kind of friends I have like I do these days. Most of my life I have had a strong surrounding of friends... elementary days, high school, college, adult life. I have one time in my life that stands out when I was between friend groups...trying to steer clear of poor choices in friends that led me towards ways that were not honoring to God (not that it was their fault, but it did not help to surround myself with this type of environment). As I waited for God to help me find new friends I learned so much about friendships and people and sharing life. I must say that my cup overflows with relationships these days. I know this isn't the case for everyone and I truly count my blessings in this department. I am blessed.

The last 10-12 years have been spent really nurturing relationships with people whom I love to share life with. I am incredibly encouraged by my friends as I see the amazing people they are and am honored to walk through life with them. They have taught me so much about communicating, empathy, relating, sharing, loving, and forgiving. I have worked through yucky stuff with some and so thankful for what God showed us while we learned to love & forgive. I have changed through the years and the friends have graciously given me room to grow and become better each day. I know I am bias, but my friends are pretty darn fun and funny to be around too!

As a mom I can't tell you how much it means to have my friends I do. Especially my mom friends these days. Emotionally I have never needed peers to be with me through a season in life like I do these days. I know I can just be me and they will either cheer for me when I am doing great, cry with me when I am hurting, yell (nicely) at me when I am being dumb, or just be. I love that I can sit without talking with some of them and know there is a comfort in just being together. I strongly believe that life is made to be done in community, with others, and connected in so many different ways. Friendship is a constant connecting place in my life that I often feel the most encouragement, joy, growth, and just have fun with! My friends make me a better person. To me, they are like family that I picked out for myself.

I really hope you have people in your life like I do. They are the gems, my treasures, that help make me beautiful everyday. I also really hope they know this is how I feel. That I value them and love them. Today my challenge to myself is that the friends in my life know just how special they are. To be a friend to someone, a true friend, is one of the greatest gifts. Thank you to my friends today whom have blessed me so.

If you have friends like this, count your blessings today and be sure they know it. Love & Friendship to you all!!