The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
I consider myself a friendly person. I am the type of person who can strike up a conversation with a stranger in the grocery store. So, for someone so friendly, I have a difficult time making real, meaningful friendships. I had the same "best friend" all through young adulthood, before we drifted apart in college. Because I did not live on campus during college, I did not make a lot of close friendships. I made friends, certainly, and continue many of those friendships to this day, but it was really rare to have intimate friends. This did not really happen to me until I moved away from home, and suddenly, friendships became much more important to me, as I missed the daily affectionate interactions I had with my family.
I developed a very close friendship with a girl who to this day, tho we are separated by hundreds of mile, is one of my closest friends. We have the type of friendship where we can talk every day, or go months without talking on the phone, and either way, the next time we talk, it is as if no time has passed. Still, when I moved from Ohio to Pennsylvania, I left a lot of good friends behind, and since living in Pennsylvania, I have made some wonderful friends, but found myself once again lacking that intimate friendship. Then I met my future husband.
Hubby will forever be my very best friend. Our friendship developed over 2.5 years, before we even started dating. He was always there for me, as much as I would allow him to be, and always wanting to help, listen, comfort, celebrate. As we began dating, I was introduced to his circle of friends, all of whom are pretty fantastic people. In the two years, I have made some wonderful, close, intimate friends. Again, we can talk daily, or not talk for a while, and it is still as if no time has passed. Some live blocks away, some live miles away, but we are always there for each other. It is such a blessing. I feel myself not only giving support, but getting it in return. I see models of good wives, good mothers, good daughters, and good Christian women among the girls in this circle of friends, and all have helped contribute to making me a better woman.
I thank God daily for the gift of friendship in my husband, and the friends he has introduced me to. I thank God for the friendship of my fellow bloggers. I thank God for friendships old and new, and pray that I am a good friend to them all in return,
