There are so many memories that are in the fore front of my mind, and many more, I am sure that are hidden away, of this wonderful friendship that started almost 30 years ago. One thing that I know for sure is that my life would have been that much drier, lonely and perhaps darker without the friendship of Stacy. The one quality that never died over the many years of joy and pain throughout our lives was the fact there always laughter. Some how it was more that just friends, truly kindred spirits and eternal sisters is how I see our relationship, even though we are now miles apart and living completely different lives. Though the busyness of my life, always in the back of my mind she is there, and often comes to the fore front of my mind. My true friend. What you see below is the first entry of my true friend, but at this time we had been friends for 2 years previous. Enjoy the beginning thoughts of an eleven year old and please forgive my very poor penmanship!
05/17/2011
05/16/2011
welcome dear friends...
Hello! Welcome!
Many many years ago a little girl with rosy cheeks, curly brown hair and big hazel eyes sat timidly in her new sunday school class. She had left behind her home and her circle of friends in Airdrie. She was anxiously hoping to find a friend or two in Barrhead. She was quiet & shy but she smiled easily and that was all the encouragement I needed to introduce myself...
We became fast friends. We became bosom friends. We were 8 then, we are 38 now. Our friendship, over the years, has remained even though our lives have taken different paths. We live 300 miles apart. Amber has a brilliant (albeit challenging) career she loves and I have a brilliant (albeit challenging) family I love. We are quite different and yet quite the same.
We both take pride in our 30 year friendship. The years of memories stored in our minds are very precious to us and we laugh over them often. Our experiences and adventures are true gifts from God and we don't want them to fade as our memories fail us. For years we have been talking about writing them down. We want our children and futrue children to know about our exceptional friendship.
So we started this blog. At first it was private - something for just the two of us to use at our leisure as a way to catch our stories before they fell through the cracks. But catching only our memories wasn't enough. Our memories encircled many other people and we could not paint an accurate picture without them.
Amber's family has absorbed me into their circle. I truly feel a kindred to Amber's older sisters, Jennifer and Rebekah. Amber's mother, Sharon, was my mother too. She is richly rooted in my memories along side my own mother. Amber & I felt we needed their memories to enrich and complete our collection.
But even more than their memories we needed their voices and their wisdom. I think it is safe to say, these women molded who we are. I know it is true for me. We - I - am made by these women. They taught me how to laugh and to love; how to be strong. They taught me how to forgive (through their shining examples). They taught me how to be true. I - we - can not keep this joy all to ourselves. It must be shared.
And it is needed.
So many good things are under attack in our world today. Good things like decent health care, fresh drinking water, democracy, eating meals as a family, marriage - the list is long and diverse. And we see friendship, in particular friendship between women, under attack by vices like backbiting, jealousy, pettiness and lustfulness.
One might be tempted to characterize true friendship as a myth. The message in the media suggests friendship embodies betrayal of feelings, secrets, boyfriends (& husbands); petty jealousies; even sexual experimentation. This mindset seems to be the norm in our society. Or at least it is the message our young girls are infiltrated with when they turn on the television, go to the movies, open a magazine or a book. It seems almost prerequiste to a.) not really like your friends in the first place or b.) betray her before she betrays you or c.) use her in every self serving way imaginabled. It's bothersome especially becasue we know what true friendship is and the joy it brings.
The world needs to know (or be reminded) friendship is NOT meant to be complicated by the above mentioned vices. Those ways of relationship are NOT the norm. Women can and do work together. Women can and are kind to each other. Friendship embodies generosity, constancy, love, respect, forgiveness, understanding, acceptance and compassion. True friendship encompasses the kind of caring which cures all fear, loneliness, doubt and despair.
Friendship between women is a force - true and extremely powerful.
Friendships shared between women have been the driving force behind counted and countless - told and untold miracles. Nothing of true worth has ever been accomplished without a good woman (and any honest man will attest to it). A good women is never more at her best when she has a good friend in her corner. The world needs women who love each other, don't you see? Women need to understand, nurture and guard friendship.
That is what Kindred Spirit Diaries is all about. This is a place to share stories about friendship. This is a place to lift each other into richer and deeper friendships. This is a place to learn more about true friendship and what it looks like. This is a place to share yourself. This is a place to renew old friendships and make new ones.
We hope you visit often and share your comments. Please tell us your thoughts on the subject "friendship". Please share your stories. Please share yourself. We can join our voices together as a beacon of what true friendship really is.
