Special Delivery and another Tribute

I opened my mailbox yesterday and got a special treat from Patty! The small wallet style scrapbook on the bottom left and the "hello" card on the right. She also made the other 2 cards, which were hand-delivered, the best kind of delivery! Reading her note made me a bit teary in the car at the school, but they were happy tears for a change!

I have a friend who I can talk to about anything and never feel anything but acceptance from her. What a gift she has been in my life for 30 some years. I can honestly say that apart from moving so far away so many times, that girl has never hurt my feelings! Not one bit, and believe me, it is an easy thing to do sometimes. She doesn't tiptoe around me, and she doesn't have to. Know why? Because I trust her, I know my position in her life, and I am secure in our friendship and what it means to both of us. That is a rare gift these days. I have never felt second best to her, although her list of friends is long. I have never felt left out of her life. She would never pass up a chance to spend time with me, and neither I with her. I am never too busy to take her calls, and she looks forward to mine. We spend 80% of our time laughing and sharing funny things no matter what kind of mood we are both in. We bring out the best in each other. That is a true blue hands down friend. We have history, it's true, but a friend to her never feels new. Any friend she makes feels special and becomes a friend for life. She doesn't "weed people out". She doesn't assume someone doesn't have enough in common with her to hang out. She doesn't overanalyze their spiritual condition and make them her "pet project"or care too much about their economic status. She doesn't care if they're 20 or 55, rich, poor, snarly, or good-natured. She tends to attract good-natured people anyway, probably a safe thing with her!

I can only aspire to be to others what she is to me. What she has over me is a complete trust in people. I do not. While she has better reasons for not trusting people, she does it anyway. In a lot of ways, her heart is much bigger than mine. I love her for that, and for the mentor she has been in my life. While some friends will let you down, disregard you, put a place value on you, choose someone else over you, or ignore you altogether, a true friend wants you in her life, whether you are a new friend or an old one, a mess or a masterpiece. A true friend knows when you need them, whether you call or not. It's funny, this parallel life my friend and I have. I've talked about it before, but it really does happen so many times. Her van breaks down, mine breaks down. Maybe it's like a twin thing, but we're constantly comparing the same situations, and it is a level of connection I've come to expect and depend on.

What kind of friend am I? Well, to Patty, I'm pretty sure she'd say I'm top of the line. Dedicated. Devoted. Loyal, honest, truthful, loving, kind, accepting, attentive, funny, and willing! I don't know what my other friends would say, and maybe that's something I need to work on. It's been said that you need to be the kind of friend you want to have, and I have tried that, but it doesn't always work. I know I could be a better friend, that's for sure. Can't we all? While it sounds like I put her on a pedestal, believe me, I don't put anyone on a pedestal. Mainly because I don't believe anyone deserves that kind of elevation, but also because it sets you up for a sure disappointment. But expressions of love and admiration and an occasional thank you for being you? Yes, I will do that for someone I love, for sure!