THE BLESSING OF FRIENDS
I have been thinking a lot about friendship during this holiday season. Several years ago I wrote an article titled, “Life Is All About Relationships” which you can view here, and this year particularly I found that to be true.
For the very first time this year, I was without any family for the holidays, and deep down, even though I had spent a wonderful weekend with all my children and grandchildren in Portland earlier in the month, I thought I would be terribly lonely. However, thanks to many friends, I had a lovely holiday!
As I wrote over 300 Christmas letters, I sent up arrow prayers for each person and family, thanking God that they were a part of my life. My favorite Christmas decoration is a beautiful wooden nativity set, handcarved with no faces, which was a gift from a precious friend. As I decorated my tree, all filled with butterflies, I thought of al the special people who gave me those decorations, each one a blessing in my life. As cards and gifts arrived from around the world, I was deeply touched that each person specially thought of me, and my heart was full!
The Sunday before Christmas, two of my oldest friends from Illlinois asked me to be a part of their family Christmas in Tampa. Then a friend down the beach invited my friend, Annie, from Ireland and me for a delicious Christmas Eve dinner of Beef Wellington with her family and friends. Then another couple asked us to come by for a glass of wine and dessert later that night. To top off the night before Christmas, Annie and I found a midnight service at the Episcopal church here on Siesta Key….although when, to our dismay, it lasted TWO HOURS, Annie told me she would never attend anything at a church with me again! 😉
On Christmas Day I was invited to the home of a speaker friend and her husband, who is the weather man on Channel 7. We had a delightful time with a wonderful dinner as well as a crazy gift exchange. I returned home to calls from all my children and several special people in my life, again reminding me of the gift of relationships.
That Friday my friend, Peter, drove me to Ft. Lauderdale where my college roommate and her husband from Texas were vacationing for a week. What a JOY it was to see her again and to share old memories and many laughs! The final delight of my Christmas was going with a special friend on Sunday afternoon to see “This Wonderful Life,” a one-man adaptation of that most precious Christmas story with Jimmy Stewart.
What I realized again and again during this holiday season is that NONE of us has to be alone. Just like George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” we have all touched lives that we probably know nothing about. My idea of heaven has become that we see all those people whose lives we’ve touched in some way, perhaps just with a smile or a kind word. All we need to do to have friends is to be a friend.
At a time that could have been devastatingly lonely in my life, special friends reached out to me (I even had other invitations from people I hardly know), and their love and caring made this season one of the most special in my life. Who needs YOUR friendship today?
I love this “Friendship Creed” by Donna Fargo. I try my best to live my life this way. I hope you will, too!
If you can’t be everything to somebody, reach out and just be a friend. Do something nice for someone you care about, something unexpected perhaps, something that would be appreciated if the shoe were on the other foot. Some people walk the other way at the first sign of trouble, but a friend will be there through it all. People are grateful for even the smallest offer of kindness and acceptance. You may never be able to make someone’s dreams come true; however, you can give something of yourself to a friend: a call, a note, or whatever you decide…that will do. Always do for a friend what you would want a friend to do for you.
You may not ever be able to do something as important as solving someone’s problems, but you can always do something to make a person feel a little better. It doesn’t have to be a big deal or cost a lot of money. It can just be something thoughtful and small. Let that someone know that you’re there and that you care about what’s happening in his/her life. You can make someone’s world a little better, even for a short while; there are times when we all just need a lift. Don’t’ hold back. Life is too short. Don’t’ wait. Someone might need you. If you can’t make somebody’s life better, then brighten a moment, make a day. It could be important.
And it IS important-my special holiday attests to that. Thank you, God, for the BLESSING of FRIENDS!
