Friends Are Gems

I am recovering from some form of flu.....I'm not sure which form.....the head hurts-stomach hurts-coughing-with fever kind. I received my annual flu shot back before Christmas so it isn't that particular strain.  I felt awful Monday-Wednesday but still went to work because I had no fever....what a trooper huh? Got home Wednesday and by Wednesday evening had 101 temperature. So I have spent three days neath the blankets with a box of tissues and plentiful cups of hot tea.  Today, I have decided I will indeed survive!

While burrowed deep into a cocoon of quilts and blankets, I had lots of time to think....and though the thoughts were random and jumped from unrelated topics and back again.....they were happy, joyful thoughts.  Usually when I am this sick, I am overcome with depression and spend lots of time weeping. Not the case this time. God used this time of stillness to remind me of how very blessed I am.

I thought about all the people God has placed in my life who continue to brighten my daily existence though I may not have seen or spoken to them in years....except via letters, then e-mail, then FB. I had as a room mate for one year in college a girl from England...it was a great year and she became a dear friend.......even if we haven't seen each other since that time, I bet we could pick up right where we left off oh so many, many years ago. Our daughters were even pen pals and still keep in touch....and they've never met face to face.  Don't you agree that is a wonderful thing? I do! And I hope one day the four of us can sit down together and enjoy a good long chat.

I've another friend who has been part of my life since high school...we've shared a lot of things from cheerleader tryouts to the birth of children.  During the first Gulf war, I had the honor of coaching my friend through the birth of her second daughter while her husband was deployed.  That was 22 years ago this month and I still get teary eyed thinking about it. Our friendship is still precious to me even if we only see each other sporadically.

And of course there is my true BFF...MoMe! We've been friends, confidants, adventurers, dreamers and schemers since first grade.....that is a long, long time...and I am so thankful for each and every moment. I think it is a rarity to find a friend who knows me better than I know myself and who has been with me through all of life's ups and downs.  That kind of friendship is definitely a blessing.

So I had the flu...and it was yucky....God used my illness to remind me what gems my friendships are...they glitter and shine even in the darkness.....and my life is richer for them.