do you hear what's there?

Friends help me sort through my emotions. They show me when I'm overreacting. They gently correct me when I'm lost in catastrophic thinking. They ground me. They love me. - Mary Demuth

 

I love this quote because it is so very true.

 

Friends truly are a gift from God. I am so very thankful that God has created FRIENDS. Not all people are FRIENDS. Most are acquaintances, people we barely know. A FRIEND is different - we totally let them in.

 

On this blog we have a little side bar acronym for friends

Fight for u
Respect u
Inspire u
Encourage u
Need u
Deserve u
See u

They fight for you. Fight for you to Love who you are because they do.

 

They respect you. Respect that you have your own opinions, ideas, wants and needs. They don't expect you to be like them or think like they do and they are ok with that.

 

They inspire you. Inspire you to reach higher, be better, look further because they tell you what they see in you and because you believe them when they speak - you try!

 

They encourage you. Encourage you to never give up on yourself or God.

 

They need you. Need you to do all those same things they do for you.

 

They deserve you. Deserve to see the true you. Deserve your honesty. Deserve all the things you hold back because God made them able to handle it - how do you know? because they are still there and you feel real when you are with them.

 

They see you. See your light shining within and call to it. See your faults and don't fault you. See your hurts and don't discount them but don't let you sit in them too long. See who you are and simply LOVE YOU.

 

On the Friendships of Love facebook page I posted this:

A friend is, as it were, a second self - Cicero  Tina and I were having a conversation about friendship. How when you are standing in front of your true friend, you don't try to hide or conceal yourself. It is within these true friendships that you see yourself clearly because your true friend (a second self) is a mirror for you to see the truth.

 

I got to thinking a little more about that mirror part... it is not that they mirror you (look like you or think like you) but that like a mirror in the bathroom, you walk in and take a look and you see what is there. A true friend allows you to be who you are. So while you are talking to them --you hear what's there-- you see what your heart looks like, you see what your mind looks like, you get a glimpse of what your soul looks like, you get some objectivity. You see parts of yourself you don't usually get to see because around other people you are not being fully you. A friend really is a wonderful gift.

 

I am so thankful for MINE!

 

Do you have one of those kinds of friends so that you can HEAR WHAT'S THERE?

 

F and L'er

Starla Smith
Smile...life is Good!