Friends..........

This past weekend has been one of the best weekends I have had in a long, long time. Perhaps, one of the best thus far in my life. I was blessed to spend a weekend with friends, friends that are more than friends, friends that are family, friends that I would lay my life down for.
In previous posts, I have spoken about my spirit dancing. I now know why it does. It dances when it is joyous and happy, and it feels this way when I am with my friends, when I am enjoying life, as it is, where it is. It is quite the revelation when you first realize what makes you happy and brings you joy. I do not have to go anywhere special or do anything special. I can sit on my couch, or theirs, and enjoy the time spent with them. The face to face time, the real conversations, the honesty, being able to be real, these are just a few of the things that mean so much to me.
For so many years, I took my friends for granted, always thought that they would be there. I have had friends for a season and when that season ended, so did the friendship. I have had many that were like this, making me gun-shy and not wanting to reach out. The pain of finality and rejection was very hard to bear and the coping skills were not truly developed or shown. The examples that I had were not stellar nor were they encouraging. Now, as I am an adult, I am learning those skills.
One of the best lessons that I have learned is listening. Listen before speaking, listen before responding, listen. Be still and listen. We have all had times when we needed the shoulder of a friend to get us through one of our trials. And it is during this time that we can excel and be that friend, that we can show them love and compassion, that we can shine.