Friends you have known for over a decade are the most valuable of all works of art or antiques collected! They are treasures to handle with care. WHY? Because friends matter, they inquire, they call, and they want to visit you because they enjoy you. Those people who know all the good, bad and ugly about us and yet they earnestly want to tune into hear what we have to say…well, those are the people we can list as dear friends! We long to get together and catch up, or just hang out with our beloved friends! Even if you have not been face to face with your true friends in over a year or two, when reunited…
Beth Moore Convention 2014
it feels like no time at all has passed! People with 650 social connections on FB are counting all who they have ever socially known as friends, however, many of these acquaintances have not been face to face in decades. Are we truly fascinated about the political or spiritual beliefs held by strangers? Honestly, I can’t say that I do. Social connections at church, the club, or at work change because we move on, and they move on. Over time our values change, our interests change and we stretch our boundaries to grow past where we used to be comfortable.
Sparkle Sista reunion May 2017
How long does it take to become a genuine friend? Doesn’t it depend on if the person you are meeting … openly shares some common value, or perhaps their very character beamed “I know we will be friends for life” Like when Anne of Green Gables met her kindred spirit! Well, after 60+ years of life, here is a bit of what I have personally experienced:
Time passes, life goes on, tragedies occur and social acquaintances move on.
Children grow up, they become independent and build their own circle of friends.
Jobs come and go. Neighbors move, parents and loved ones die, and hearts break.
Tonala with Albert 2014
Acquaintances come and go just like the weather changes, however, real friends are always there, no matter how long or how many miles away they live.
What once seemed extremely important …changes.
Illusions, aspirations, goals and physical abilities …fade.
Colleagues forget your contributions, and the race to the top ends.
A friend is never more distant than a call. They greet you with open arms. Their greatest desire is to be a blessing in your life. Friends for life are to be cherished!
Our Red Hat Society 1999 – “The Sparkle Sistas”
When we started this adventure called LIFE, we did not know of the incredible joys or sorrows that were ahead. We did not know how much we would need from each other. Love your parents, take care of your children, but keep a group of good friends. Dialog with them, listen to them, and care for them without imposing your beliefs on them….and you will keep them forever! The friends you have made over your span of life, even those you seldom see face to face, those people will cause you to experience life more fully and they are gifts from God, they are encounters with the divine! Allow them to help you make sense out of the rough patches, and tell them verbally or in writing just how much they mean to you!
March 2017 reunion with Diana on a Caribbean cruise ship
With thirty acquaintances visiting, only four new friends in the group – November 2017
So make 2018 the best it can possibly be and make plans to connect with your friends for some face time and laughter together!
To all of you who have endured a long dark season, or any soul shaking experience, you made it another year. Hallelujah! Let us declare this year’s end and shout out: “His grace is sufficient and in 2018 let us rise up and praise Him for the doors He opens, and also for the doors that our Father closes”
People who know me, encourage me, and want to spend time = these are mi amigas! Friends for Life will attend your wedding and be there for you during family funerals.
