A FEW MORE FRIENDSHIP QUOTES, ETC.

My first post on this blog was a smattering of my favorite quotes about friendship. Here are a few more of my favs - shared today in honor of my friend Cheri's 40th birthday.
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BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS, DEAR FRIEND!

Thanks for years and years and years of walking in faith & friendship. Because of your wise, wondrous, often wacky spirit, I've tasted the rich, flavorful, satisfying feast of friendship! May we come to the table for many years to come!











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Dear Reader, if you have a treasured word about being a friend, feel free to join in the sharing! Grace and Peace and Joy to you as you journey through births and deaths with your friends!!! And, if you're in a season of loneliness or you need some rejuvenation in your friendships, check out FIVE WAYS TO CELEBRATE THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF FRIENDSHIP, a piece Cheri wrote for a website dedicated to young friends in the thick of mothering. (The piece follows the quotes.)

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have,

and one of the best things you can be.

-Douglas Pagels

I'll lean on you and you lean on me and we'll be okay."
-lyrics by The Dave Matthews Band

One's friends are that part of the human race

with which one can be human.

-George Santayana

Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.
-Sicilian Proverb

The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.

-Henry David Thoreau

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.
-Author Unknown

If a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by

asking if there is anything you can do.

Think up something appropriate and do it.

-Edgar Watson Howe

What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.
-Aristotle

A friend loveth at all times.

-Proverbs 17:17

Nothing but heaven itself is better than
a friend who is really a friend.
-Platus

A good friend is cheaper than therapy.

-Author Unknown

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead.
Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow.
Just walk beside me and be my friend.
-Albert Camus

Hold a true friend with both your hands.

-Nigerian Proverb

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that

they can grow separately without growing apart.

-Elisabeth Foley

And a friend will not say "never"
'cause the welcome will not end.
-Michael W. Smith & Amy Grant


One thing women do best is FRIENDSHIP! Gifted with a passion for relationship, 'us girls' gravitate toward kinships that honor our secrets, make us giggle, teach us to cry; and to girlfriends who'll admit (when invited) that our butt looks uncomfortably huge in those 'skinny' jeans.

Like the wings of a butterfly, there's something magical about friendship that can't be pinned down, dissected, or explained. A friend is one to whom you confess guilt that french fries are a staple on your family's grocery list; and she gladly 'one-ups' you with a reminder that her kids are on a first name basis with the drive-thru attend at Krispy Kreme. Some friends sit with you week after week while you endure another round of chemo, and listen tirelessly when your marriage comes undone. Others sign you up for the high-ropes courses or belly-dancing classes, inspiring laughter when it's needed most. They can be silly, soulful, compassionate, loyal, quirky, wild or wise. But whatever qualities they wear most comfortably, friends - each in their own way - offer glimpses of unconditional love.

So, why not celebrate friendship as a spiritual gift: one of the best gifts LOVE has to offer?!


FIVE WAYS TO CELEBRATE THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF FRIENDSHIP

1. Knit a Scarf. As you do, relive some favorite memories with your friend and realize that both the knitting and the warm reflections you have as you weave are a prayer - a prayer she can wear!

2. Light a Candle. Whenever you have a friend over for coffee, dinner, or even a play date, let a candle's gentle glow remind you that through her smiling face you can experience God's warm presence.

3. Start a Tradition. Collect matching candlesticks, pieces of jewelry, or pairs of teacups. Take one and give the other to a friend. The missing piece will remind you both that you're never alone.

4. Hand Write a Note. E-mails and phone calls are quick and easy; but writing by hand can be a spiritual exercise. Find a comfy chair, play some quiet music, and express the qualities you love about your friend with a few care-fully chosen words. Don't forget to drop the note in the mail!

5. Share a Story. Dig up some of your favorite childhood photos, and share them with a friend. Ask your friend to do the same. By trusting each other with some of the key memories and experiences that have shaped who you are today, your hearts will be sealed in a special way.