For the Friendship of True Women

Today's blog reflection is on Friendship. The special kind of friendship that women can share. It is one that transcends time and place. It is where you can feel known understood and validated. Accepted for who you are and and never judged. It is a blessing in life that I truly can say I value above many things.

This week I am finishing up a Ministry of Mothers sharing 8 week journey that I facilitated through church with two other wonderful women and friends. We have had a wonderful group of women from all walks of life and even many different parts of the globe. Each woman has brought a unique perspective and has shared themselves with the others helping all of us to grow. It is a group that makes our parish feel a little smaller and it is its own special community.

During one of our sessions, we focused on the value of friendship in our life and how we are able to share our true selves with one another through these special relationships. The value of friends is truly a godsend at each point in our lives. As young people, we share our hopes and dreams with our friends. As we age and our lives travel in different directions if we are fortunate, we encounter others through work, church and our communities. Ideally, we are able to find those people who are able to share this journey with us and encourage us.

For me this week, I have been reflecting and reconnecting with some of my friends. When circumstances change for example through job or relocation, sometimes the future of our relationships is tested. Either we chose to make an effort to stay connected or the value in some cases of that relationship may end. It is comforting to have those people whom you discover are your friends even when circumstances change. To know that what you share in terms of values and understanding is not lost. These people are truly blessings in our lives and in the midst of change it is so comforting to know and have those upon whom we can rely and turn to when the storms of life set in.

So today I am reflecting with gratitude on the gifts and blessings that come from having true friends. I am thankful for the wonderful women who have shared in the MOMS group over the past 8 weeks. I am thankful for the others I have come to know from prior groups and also many other friends whom I have encountered along my life's journey. For those who are not part of my MOMS group, I want to share a few verses from one of the poems that we meditate on because it conveys for me the power and reach of these special bonds. I have chosen the final stanzas from a poem that bears the same name as my Blog:

"For the friendship of true women, Lord,

That has been and ever shall be,

Since a woman stood at a woman's side by the cross of Calvary.

For the tears we weep, for the trusts we keep,

For the self same prayers we pray,

For the friendship of true women, Lord,

Take you my thanks today. " (taken from MOMS: A Spiritual Journal)

Here is praying that God will continue to bless my friends near and far.