I bet I have 28 writing ideas written down in my journal...double that if you go back to my recent Haiti trip...yet as I sat down to write tonight after a few weeks of non-stop frenzy....all I wanted to write was the story of my friend's hearts.
As I work through knowing, learning from, and owning the story of my own life...I am mystified (to say that I am saddened) to realize how many stories I have been missing...beside my own...of the amazing men and women that make up, glide in for an instance or for years, in the beautiful little life I lead. I know I didn't miss everything, but I missed WAY too much.
What is the story of the man walking home from the grocery store? That man without a shirt on that is standing in the middle of a parking lot in downtown Little Rock on a Sunday evening....does he have somewhere to go? Is that an Icee he is eating? Is that all he has had today? Do E&G have enough of anything....books, help, prayer, love, hugs, gas, etc. to get back to MD Anderson in Houston tomorrow? Does another friend truly know how beautiful she is...inside and out? Do I tell my friends that enough? Do I tell myself that enough? Do I love people enough? Can I do more? I must do more.
I digress....
My friend spent her precious girl's weekend that she does annually...something just for her....no kids or husband or responsibilities...besides reading, resting, eating, shopping, etc....this year she spent it working on new recipes, buying new foods, researching, listening to a local expert, shopping, searching....all for her family who was recently told they needed to go not only gluten-free but rice flour free...and I hear that is a big deal...and no, I don't know...because I have never had to worry about such. Bless my heart. She also squeezed in time to give me a lesson on words and my own poor eating....and she delivered both messages in and with LOVE.
I have another friend who is headed back to MD Anderson in Houston for radiation treatment (her third cancer diagnosis in less than three years) as she fights to get it into remission so that she is able to go through another stem cell transplant. I get to spend part of a day with her as she got a brief respite home for just a few days before heading back....and what does she hand me tonight?....coloring tablets and crayons for my next trip to Haiti which could happen while she is still in Houston. Seriously?!
The heart of my friends....breaks mine...and beautifully so...
...and they teach me THIS....
Our hearts matter...our souls matter...
The more I learn, the more I find I need to learn, and I am okay with that. I love that my friends love and trust me enough to share their stories with me....and that they love me enough to share in mine.
I have been thinking and writing a lot about tribe building, and this photo made me smile. Love. :)
My friends continue to leave me in awe. Awe. Their growth challenges my own. Their hearts teach my own. Their souls help to renew my own.
Sometimes I feel like I am waking up from a long dream....as I realize things I missed, things I took for granted, and learn new joys that make my heart flutter.
I love my friends. I am so blessed...so grateful.
I have so much more to write about and share....but for tonight, I just want to marinate in a weekend of lessons and love....:)))
Sunshine Dreams to You ~ Today and Every Day! :)
