For the Love of Friends

Throughout our lives we meet a lot of people, and if we are fortunate, we make a lot of friends. Like wine, some become our favourites right away, others take awhile to appreciate, still others get better and better with age.
Just recently my partner and I had the opportunity to make some new friends who we instantly liked and felt at home with. Like old souls meeting up after a long absence, we felt a comfort and and kinship with them that defied logic and kindled a familiar feeling of belonging in our hearts.
It got me thinking about friendship in general, and it occurred to me that whether our friends have been longtime companions, or are new sparks of light in our lives, they are invaluable gems that faithfully inspire and support us on our journeys. They are the people who pick us up when we fall down, become our cheerleaders, our voice of reason, our clowns, our companions, and our sounding boards. Friends are a lifelong source of joy, comfort and unconditional love. Unlike family, they choose us...even when we are broken, even when we have nothing to give back.
During my sixty odd years of life ( and they have been odd...) I have always been able to rely on my friends to help me navigate through the shadows as well as celebrate the light. In retrospect, it seems as if they have had an almost magical quality, always appearing just when I needed them the most.
So this Valentine's Day, I want to thank all my friends, old and new for your love. Thank you for supporting me, for encouraging me, laughing with me, crying with me, and believing in me.  As I get older, I have an even greater appreciation for this bond we call friendship, it has been a guiding light in my life, and a safe haven for my heart. My deepest gratitude, dear friends, you mean the world to me.

It is our friends

who answer the call

of our weary hearts,

who understand without words,

who see inside the darkness

and  help bring us back to the light...

it is our friends
who inspire joy,
and unconditional love,
who sing the same song,

 and share this magical bond

of kindred souls...

pbowman