Friends

"The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend." ~Aristotle

"A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out." ~Grace Pulpit

"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you."  Elbert Hubbard

I have never been accused of being un-opinionated.

No one has ever called me wishy washy.

If fact there may have been times that dare I say

I am over opinionated.

(I blame my parents!)

I am one of those women who if you don't have an opinion of your own,

I'll be glad to share mine.

 

In my lifetime

I am sure my unapologetic opinions

 have drawn more enemies than friends.

 

It has been an interesting lesson, this year and last, in true friendship.

I have learned the depth of my loyalty in my friendships.

I have learned that true friends walk in your life

and choose

to plant themselves, and grow deep roots

roots that intertwine in your life so that you grow together

and there is nothing,

not time, distance or angry words

that can truly separate their life from yours.

 

While some friends may not be in your daily routine

they are daily in your heart

just as you are in theirs.

Those are the friends that when you fall

will squeeze their bodies under you to prop you up.

They will drag you kicking and screaming to a better place.

A place of love.

 

I am blessed to have true friends in my life.

Friendships that have spanned years, love, tears, tragedy and fun.

Friends that give freely and willingly of their hearts.

Friends that know me and love me anyway.

Friends that have put their roots with mine

and have chosen our lives to be together in some way.

I am humbled

If you truly only go through this life once,

I am glad I am going through it with the friends I have.

I don't tell them enough that I love them and would be lost without them.

I plan in 2011 to change that.