Life Lesson #12~ FRIENDSHIPS TIE US TOGETHER

I've truly been blessed by the grace of a  beautiful extended family here in Texas and abroad. Family, not by blood, but by bonds of deliberate choosing.  I love my spiritual and emotional family with all my heart and would sacrifice anything for them. My little band is a small, yet fierce group of women who aren't just friends on occasion but forever.  Over the years these women  have become sisters of the heart. Unfortunately only a small few are pictured above, but pictures or not, on any given day,  I know who my friends are. Without a doubt I know who I can always trust and  who I can  count on..Sometimes they come running over, we grab a coffee and other times I find a Facebook tag making me laugh or many times they call and other times an encouraging text message.These women are my best friends, part of our family. I’ve known some of my sisters for close to 2 decades or more, others over 10 years and a few for just under 3 years. We have shared many things together, and yes we have gone even months without seeing one another, yet when we talk or gather it’s as if time hasn’t passed at all. The closeness I share with these women is precious and worth more than anything the material world has to offer.

Through the years we've shared holidays together, the birth of our children, adoptions and graduations, marriages, some divorces, the loss of parents, breast cancer and many other illnesses. We come from different backgrounds, up bringings and totally different ways of looking at life yet these women are my family, sisters of the heart. When I’m at my lowest, during the most distraught moments of my life you  will find these beautiful women bringing  light back into my heart, pushing  me to go further, allowing  me to confide my pain without fear of betrayal. No turmoil I've  ever faced has run them away, and with each and every triumph I  look back on,  I  see my sisters there with me. Life with these ladies makes perfect sense and I wouldn't want it any other way!

Life Lesson #12, Friendships tie us together. Truth: Our friends are the family,(no matter how different)  we chose to walk though life’s complications with. 

Looking back and even forward, I am truly grateful for the days I can recall a memory, a moment when my craziness and their laughter came together and was imprinted on my heart. I can’t count how many times I’ve felt alone in a battle, only to look around me to see my sister’s flank my sides, lift up my arms and see me through to victory. I am forever thankful knowing deep in my heart that these amazing ladies never turn me away, instead they listen to my insecurities and frailties without judging my heart and intentions. I love knowing we can come together or separately and walk away better for the experience. My dear sisters know me better than I know myself sometimes. Each one of them can call me out on my self-pity, being honest with me no matter what. These women build me up, take note of my flaws and yet still love me. Yes at times we can disagree, but no one can take their place in my life. Each one of my sisters knows exactly how I tick. They know my ins and outs,  my hang ups, quirks and disappointments,  yet they love me.

I rejoice in their victories with them and I hurt when they hurt. I celebrate their accomplishments with joy and yep I even squeal in excitement when each one of them and their families find happiness. This gift of unconditional love and true friendship has shaped my experiences in life as I pray I have done the same in theirs. I know no matter where we go, wherever life takes each of us,  I will share my heart and they will share theirs with me. True friendships are gifts not to be taken lightly. I treasure each and every one of them. I thank God every day for these powerful,  beautiful and truly amazing women in my life. Their presence in my life has been one of the greatest blessings. I have experienced more support and love from these ladies in the last year than I can even begin to express. No matter the time of day, my sisters of the heart have stood by me, believed in who I am and in the woman I am yet to become. The truth is because I know them, I am a better person. Because they love me, I have learned not only to love generously, speak slowly, listen carefully and to give of myself selflessly to others as they have given to me.

My beautiful sisters I  will love each of you for as long as I live. I  pray that’s a long, long time ladies! I saw this quote from the Board of Wisdom, and I do believe it says it all, "Always together, never apart, best friends forever, SISTERS AT HEART". I'm thankful to each and every one of you for allowing my family and I to become part of your tribes and for making it possible for our friendships to become part of our children’s inheritance for generations to come.

~Christina