Life Lesson #142 ~ One Call Away

"There are some people who could hear you speak a thousand words and still not understand you. And there are others who will understand without you even speaking a word." ~ Anonymous

We all have a few, close friends we know we can count on. We may call them our brothers or sisters but the one thing we know DNA or not, they are only one call away in any situation. Anywhere we are in life,  no matter where we go we know they will be there too. When we think of these loved ones, we know their hearts and ours are aligned. They are very old friends much as rumi speaks of.  Be it 20 years or just a few months our hearts are entangled, connected and joined together. We are affixed be it spiritually, mentally, emotionally or physically. And for those few we hold closer than a brother or a sister, we are fused together by all four. For me personally, "I'm close to a very few people but those few people mean everything to me." See when you've got a close circle of friends you know you can count on to listen to you and not judge you,  to love you unconditionally becoming part of your spirit, you have found your tribe.

The thing about life, as I've said before is it's messy. Nothing about it is certain. And what is certain is it's covered in fingerprints, smudges and dirt from all the places and people we've  met. So when it comes to those I keep close, who know how my pieces actually fit together, those who I allow to leave permanent footprints in my life, I am guarded. The truth about me is, "I like messy people; people who don't fit in a box or stay between the lines but whose integrity is greater than any rule book and who's loyalty is stronger than blood." And by God's grace I have been afforded these beautiful people in my life. I know under any circumstance I can count on my tribe. Doesn't matter the time of day or night, if they're busy or not all I have to do is pick up the phone. These are the women I call friends, and family, those who call me sister and I them. My closest friend always says, "You are the sister I got to choose."  The truth is they are the sisters I've been given the choice to choose as well.  In life we often long for friendships like these, and  then by God's grace they seem to show up just when we need them the most. In my life, these women, they are the glue that many times holds me together. I can count on them to be honest with me, and not sugar coat the truth. I know when I am at my lowest, they will pick me up and when lost in a sea of worry they will anchor themselves to me, keeping me from going under. I also know just as they share in my sadness, they too share in my joy, my victories and in the pursuit of my hopes and dreams. When one succeeds we all do. The thing about  unconditional love is it doesn't compete with itself, and so by loving my sisters, and them me, we rejoice with one another in all our accomplishments. The truth is, "My sisters remind me, by their steadfastness, that truth, beauty and goodness exist in the world and that no matter what there are and always will be people loving people through thick and thin." This quote reminds me so much of what my parents said so many times as I was growing up, people helping people through Jesus and that my friends, is a gift we all need.

See our friends, those so close to us, and a part of our inner circle know us sometimes even better than we know ourselves. Because they have been hand picked by our Father, and given a glue stick to use as needed, we have assurance we can fall apart in front of them. If I am being completely transparent, there are very few people in this world I can wear my heart on my sleeve around, cry in front of or even allow the pieces of our my heart, spirit and soul to fall off in front of. Maybe the last few years have been hard on me, changed me, taught me to be more guarded but I am thankful for the change. Why, well because I've been put back together by the hands of a mighty and gracious God and those glues sticks He's put in the hands of my sisters well He's forged a completely new me.  The truth is while many may have an image of me, an idea of who I am only a few actually get to see the full picture.  In these last three years, I've started thinking much like CreativeMomista, "The older I get the more selective I am of who is in my tribe. I would rather have four quarters than a hundred pennies." And the truth is we all come to this place in our lives. Sure we are happy reminiscing on our past, the pieces that brought us happiness, or even taught us lessons necessary to our growth. But in time we learn to look past high school, our college years or even our beginnings and focus on the here and now, with those who are beside us, hand in hand. These are the moments where we find our focus and the people who are a vital part of our journey. These people are our glue sticks and they "make us hungry for life, touching our heart and nourishing our soul."

And this is really the heart of Life Lesson #142 ~ One Call Away. These women, my closest friends, confidants, my sisters of the heart are the ones I know without a doubt are only one call away at any given moment. They've taught me how to be openly myself, unashamed and content in how my Father's put me back together again, glue sticks and all. This tribe of mine, these women who are part of me, and I them, never fail to be an example of His grace, mercy and loving kindness in my life. When I think of them, I consider these words, "Beautiful is the woman who knows people, places and things don't define her. She is defined by her acts of kindness and a generous heart." And these very same women I call sisters, they are more than any words can define or describe. In closing, I am reminded of the loveliness and goodness of my tribe as I read Philippians 2: 1-4  out of The Message, "If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." And these women, they are the very definition of this verse in my life .I'm so thankful for these Godly women's influence over my heart, ever ready with glue sticks in hand and at any moment always just one call away. I truly love you to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond.

"I'm just a call, a text or drive away from you. I'm always here." ~ Anonymous

~Christina