That's What Friends Are For!

"A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow" - William Shakespeare

"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies." - Aristotle

"A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature. " - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts expressed ~ That can make life a garden." - Goethe

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." - Unknown

What is it that creates a "connection"? If it's not your life stories aligning, how is it that you just "get" one another, always knowing how the other feels in any given situation, understanding the predicament someone is in without having a verbal run down regarding background and surrounding circumstance? How is it you can say anything and it's taken in the right way? You never have to "walk on egg shells" or really even think before you speak. How, when like me, you are not what people would call a "trusting individual" do you let go of all the apprehension and break through all your protective walls and be vulnerable enough to speak honestly about your own being and uncover your heart, thoughts and wounds for them to see and all this based on a feeling of "connection"!!?? How does this "connection" make it past all the junk in our minds and hearts to create a beautiful friendship?

We always hear about"soul mates"... And I, being a romantic at heart, lap all of these ideals up like a dehydrated kitten. I have yet to experience someone falling in love with me... Any claim to fame on that point has long ago been disproved, no "soul mate" that I can see to speak of on the horizon at this point.. Sometimes I'm lonely, I wonder if I'm ever going to find my "prince charming" or if I have already passed him by and been too stubborn to take notice (great I sound like a Disney Princess in the beginning of her movie ha!).. At times I think no one can possibly care enough about me to take the time to understand my situation or give me a shoulder, hand or listening ear when I hurt.. Most times I'm not so sure I would trust anyone enough to spill anyway. But, all of a sudden I think I've been missing it... I have experienced the "soul mate" it just didn't come in the packaging I thought I had ordered...

I have found a friend, not a new friend, not a friend who lives just down the street but a friend who has turned into more than even just a "friend." I can say anything and be myself or just be quiet and comfortable in silence. I feel the need to fix anything I perceive as being bothersome to my friend, I feel pain when it reflects in the eyes either by word or by memory, I want to "take care of it" when the, what I call, stupid people in the world don't know enough to hush and spare some one's feelings or try to take advantage of a "nice person" character who would rather make the people around feel happy than have happiness for their own sake. This friend has somehow crossed all the fences, been exempt from the testing and got the certificate for entrance into my heart.

I found another quote "friendship happens when one soul dwells in two bodies" although I'm not sure of the measure of truth in the statement I do agree with it's sentiment... It seems to explain the "connection" you can have with someone.

They say (whoever they are) people come into your life for a season to help you, grow you, polish you, teach you etc... Maybe that's why we have the immediate connections, whatever it is, I love it! When that feeling comes along, whether it's me or you being the helper, it makes my life a little brighter.. So I thank you! Thank you for making me realize that I do have a reason to smile instead of cry, for making me know I am not alone even when I feel lonely and even though my "love boat" seems to be fetched-up on a sand-bar somewhere in the middle of the ocean I have met a soul mate already.

The only thing I think needs to be changed about this writing is the word friend... Because you are that "friend" but you've become more than expected... You have become family. Love you much and when you're having a "tears on the pillow at night moment" think of me and know I BELIEVE IN YOU and I LOVE YOU! Our connection is not now and never will be faded in my eyes.


So this was a letter I wrote to a friend who moved away, but if you're feeling alone, sad or just melancholy today please accept it as a letter directly to you because someone feels this way about you being in their life even if they haven't told you! And one more thought: if, like me, you're yet to find your "soul mate" just think of something Candace Bunshell wrote for Carrie Bradshaw (Sex in the City) said "Maybe our girlfriends are our soul mates and guys are just people to have fun with.” And if no one has told you today, you're loved and beautiful!