I have been thinking alot about friendships lately. Not just about friendships, but the way those friendships impact my daily life.
To be quite honest, with as much as we have moved over the past ten years I find it hard to truly invest in solid relationships with other women. I have had some extremely close relationships that have fizzled over time because of distance and that seems to make it more difficult for me to put myself out there and risk the same heartbreak and sadness again.
With that said, I do have some amazing girlfriends. Some live here, some are a days plane flight away~ but no matter the distance, I cling to the relationships I have with these precious gals because frankly I don't think I would have an ounce of sanity without them.
My life is daily impacted by these friends.
I can be having an absolutely miserable day and a phone call from Kristie can put everything back into perspective and help me realize that I am not alone in this crazy thing called motherhood. Kristie motivates me to be a better mom and a better friend. She is simply amazing.
In my little studio space at the top of the stairs I have a cork board filled with inspirational photos, quotes, and tidbits. Tacked to it is a printed out copy of an email my sweet friend Crystal sent me when we first moved to Lexington 6 years ago. We had just left Florida and left a great community of friends, including Peter and Crystal. Several weeks after our move, Crystal sent me the most powerful and encouraging email. She wrote out a prayer for me and since that day I have often re-read that prayer tacked to my cork board and been once again reminded of the importance and vital necessity of support and care in our friendships.
One of the furthest in distance, but closest to my heart friends is Jen. She lives in Papua New Guinea and although our emails are sporadic, they are such a source of encouragement and joy. We have seen each other only a couple of times in the past 10 years but when we do have time together it is as if we haven't missed a beat.
And then there are the unexpected friends. Friendships that have evolved through a common bond of motherhood, interests, or struggles. These friendships always amaze me. Pam is one of those friends. In college, although we lived on the same floor, we never spent time together. But in recent years we have connected. She has her life in Minnesota and I have mine in Kentucky. But we share in many of the same dreams for our lives and her friendship is a source of inspiration to me.
The list could go on and on. Each person brings something unique to my life and brings out in me something that only they can.
I share about these gals in my life because as I live longer on this earth, I am even more sure than ever that cultivating friendships is essential in our lives. It is very easy for me to focus my attention on my children and husband and come to the end of a week and realize that I haven't reached out to anyone else! I have poured so much of myself into our home and family that I have let other relationships take a back seat.
Often our TV culture portrays women's relationships as catty, thwarted by jealousy and too high maintenance to invest in. Thankfully, I have not found this to be the case in my life. I am blessed with relationships that have are full of mutual respect, a willingness to support and encourage one anothers life endeavors, and a level of humbleness and forgiveness that is necessary for any true, lasting friendship.