Friends

Are you tired of isolation? Are your kids missing their friends to the point of losing their minds? Do you crave sitting down to dinner at a restaurant with your friends? I think I know the answer for most of you. Isolation is difficult, otherwise it wouldn't be used as punishment! As important as time alone is, friendships are a necessary part of life. We were not intended to do life alone. Friendships are essential.

Dana and I have been watching a reality show that seeks to recapture the spirit, the courage, the trials and the victories of the settlers of 1870 called Pioneer Quest. Two couples are given a plot of land, era appropriate tools and supplies to start their homestead in Canada much like couples would have 150 years ago. On the episode we watched last night, one of the foursome was struggling to be grateful for the help of her neighbor. She felt like she was somehow breaking the pioneer code  by accepting assistance. She wanted to experience all the feelings of a pioneer woman, including the loneliness and isolation they certainly endured when settling in a barren land in 1870. What she needed to remember is that our spirit needs the connection of others in order to grow and fully develop into who we were made to become. We were made for connection.
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Friends truly are one of the best gifts we can have, and finding the ones that will be with us through the valleys and on the mountaintops is a wonderful thing. Having that person be your spouse is priceless. If that isn't your situation, make it so! Decide to be that friend to your lifelong companion. Be there for them in the good times and the bad. Know their heart and their hurts and the motivations behind those actions that sometimes get under your skin. Become their most valuable natural resource and make growing old together a beautiful thing.

How blessed we are to have friends at home and outside of our homes. Hold on to them tightly and thank God for those people who cheer you on and who have the courage to confront you when you take steps in the wrong direction. Tell them they are valued and learn to be that kind of friend. If the message on the painting is the right one, feel free to print it and give it to that friend that has been with you on your journey. Let them know their value in your life.

I don't have a mailing address for God, who is with all of us on our journey, walking before us to guide our way in the dark times, behind us to push us to be our best, and beside us to laugh and cry and listen....so give it to the one who He has given you that has skin on. That is slightly imperfect and maybe somewhat annoying at times. And never forget what a gift this friend is.