If you asked me to tell you about the furniture from my house growing up, there wouldn't be too many things that I could recall with great detail. Living in so many houses through the years, things changed frequently, and honestly it's all kind of a blur. I do, however, remember getting a pink canopy bed in the 4th grade that we ordered from the Montgomery Ward catalog. The loveliest, most beautiful-est cotton-candy pink canopy EVER.I also vividly remember a picture that usually found its home above the mantel -- a framed George Eliot quote that my parents received as a gift from their good friends, Kathy and Scott Parker. In beautiful calligraphy was written:
“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.”
The Parkers were really amazing friends, and that quote was a perfect representation of our two families over the years. As an adult, I look at my own friends and am practically speechless at how blessed I've been with the same kind of relationships-- those who find the good in me and just blow the rest away.
It's baffling how we are all driven by relationships and connecting with other human beings, and yet finding friends who are comfortable being real and honest is a rarity.
Real friends tell you about their proud moments.
And tell you when they're afraid of something.
And cry in front of you when they're sad.
They'll admit when they're wrong.
They let you see their messy closets.
And tell you when they need something.
And they'll make time for you.
Real friends pat you on the back in your proudest moments.
And hold your hand when you're afraid.
They'll let you cry when you're sad.
And don't count your rights and wrongs.
They don't care if your closets are messy.
And they're there to help before you ask.
And they're just happy to see you when they can, even if it's not as often as they wish.
Real friends are comfortable. Like being home.
Where you can take your shoes off, plop down on the sofa, maybe even put your feet on the coffee table. Where you can just BE. Without judgement or worry, no diplomacy or etiquette.
Real friends are like home.
Maybe that's where "wassup homeslice" or "yo yo homeboy" or "my homies" came from... (okay, just a guess.. I'm trying to improve my street talk...)
One of my sweet friends, Jody, had a birthday earlier this week. I love that there is a day every single year to celebrate Jody. A mutual friend introduced us probably 12 years ago -- and who knew that that introduction would turn into a life-long friendship over the years. Jody is the epitome of a real friend, who doesn't "weigh thoughts nor measure words" -- she is who she is, and grants those around her that same privilege. She has a capacity to love bigger than almost anyone else I know and has a nurturing instinct. She treats all people with an equal dignity and sees past the traditional labels to the heart of who people are. To know Jody is to love her, and to be her friend is a definite privilege. Jody, thanks for being real and comfortable, like home. (You're one of my favorite Homies!)
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