I read once and I wish I had kept the article about friends. There were four degrees or level of friends. The first one being more of an acquaintance - people you kind of see regularly and say hello to and make small talk to. Most people have a lot of these kinds of acquaintances.
Level two is someone who you can go out with to dinner and you can talk to - but it's surface level talking. Maybe 10?
Then there are friends you can confide in and have fun with. Tell some secrets too. Talk. Laugh. Feel pretty comfortable with. Maybe 5?
Then there are, I think it was called the Chernobyl level - the deepest level of friendship. Kindred spirit level. You can be apart for years and pick up where you left off. Know they're there for you. Can tell anything too. Bosom buddies. Maybe 2?
What do y'all think about that? What are the traits of a friend you feel are important to you?
You are my friend when you can guard my failure, challenge my thought and celebrate my success.-Unknown
I can tell you that one of the biggest blessings and successes in my whole entire life - are my friends. They are so incredibly special. Some of them don't live here in Georgia and some of them do. Thank God for Internet. Thank God for my friends.
I watched some Hallmark movie the other night - I can't remember the name exactly - It was "Finding Sarah ?" She had an abusive childhood. It was just her and her sister left. Her sister found a husband who was Amish. Went she married him she had to leave Sarah too, to live with the Amish. So Sarah had some growing to do. She had a hard time letting go, loving, and trusting.
Well her sister died and left 4 Amish children. Sarah brought the children home to live with her in the big city. Yaddy, yaddy, yaddy . . . she lost her fiance and she returned the children to the Amish area and was about to leave when she metamorphosed and the kids begged her to stay there.
The burden of the past lifted off her shoulders and she could then give of herself and decided to stay in the Amish community until the older girl turned 18 (2 years). It ended where her fiance came back and it all turned out alright - well it was the Hallmark Channel.
The point that hit me was when she and her boyfriend broke up she was complaining that she had a bad childhood, her parents were gone, her sister left her, and then her sister died and so forth. And he goes to her - "Sarah, you say you want to be loved? Then look around you. You are loved. Love is all around you. In the kids, in me".
Maybe it wasn't the love Sarah had dreamed of at the beginning of her life. Not everyone gets the fairy tale life Cinderella did, but of you open your eyes and your heart and accept the love that is given to you, life is good. Don't miss the love you do have, complaining about the type of the love you don't have. Love can come from many different places so be open to it. My advice for the day.
One of my friends sent me this last week and now I'll send it on to you:
Gloria Gaither, "Line by line, moment by moment, special times are etched into our memories in the permanent ink of everlasting love in our relationships" Well girl, thanks for being so busy with your love filled permanent marker in my life!
Be someones permanent marker!
You change your life by changing your heart. (Max Lucado)
Chatty
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