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Love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable;
Love does not keep a record of wrongs;
Love is not happy with evil, but rejoices in the truth.
Love never gives up; and its faith, hope and patience never fail.
Love is eternal.
~1 Corinthians 13
This verse is usually associated with a marriage or committed relationship. I also think of this when it comes to friendships- true, genuine friendships- and how hard it is to find people who fit this definition of love. When you find someone like this you need to hold on for dear life!
I have a friend I will call Anne*. She has 5 children. She's had a pretty crappy past year- youngest child- her 2 year old son- had a stroke and heart surgery, she lost some friendships that she thought were near and dear to her- only to find out that these friendships weren't genuine and only self-centered. Nonetheless, the loss of these friendships are still difficult and painful. You go through a grieving process and wonder what the hell YOU did. But when someone is a narcissist, YOU didn't do anything wrong...you were just part of the game. The narcissist doesn't even consciously realize that they are the root of all evil! That is probably the worst part of it- you will never get an apology; they don't even realize that they cause so much pain and aren't capable of caring.
Well Anne and I have become friends and I am so blessed to have had the chance to know her. When I meet new people I can usually tell within a small bit of time if I will be friends with the person. I knew pretty quickly that we could be friends- and not just because of our common ground with being burned by the same person. We are both genuine people who can share without judgement, we can be happy for each other when milestones and good things happy, we don't expect anything from each other- just genuine compassion for the human spirit.
I saw this pendant at a shop that I frequently purchase beads from and I thought of Anne. She loves spirals. I wanted to make her something that would put a smile on her face. I don't expect anything in return- just her friendship. I wanted to thank her for being part of my life.
So, thank you, Anne for being in my circle of friends and sharing this life journey with me. I am blessed beyond measure!
*Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Anne will know who she is!
