i have always been careful, guarded even, when it comes to who i spend my time with. i feel that if i am going to be with people, and take the time to cultivate a friendship, i want it to be worth my time. as a result, i don't have tons of friends. that's just fine with me because the friends i do have are amazing!
"be with those who help your being." Rumi
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| jandi, andrea, lori, kristen, audra, me |
"you become like the 5 people you spend the most time with. chose carefully."
i have been blessed with some amazing women in my life, i tell ya. women who make me laugh, make me think, make me ponder on spiritual things, make me BE better!
in no particular order, i would like to highlight a few of those...
chelsey.
she has burst into my life like a brilliant unicorn spreading beautiful rainbow smiles, hugs and love everywhere she goes. i truly have never met anyone like her. i love this woman. you would too if you met her. i mean it. she has a following of fans, and it's easy to see why. she makes you feel like you are the only person in her universe. that you are beautiful, worthy, funny, important, loved. she has gorgeous energy, and you feel it.
simply put...she has made me better.
erin.
here is another woman with beautiful energy. i feel like we have been friends forEVER. there is a deep connection, and yet i don't see her all that often. we have only truly hung out a handful of times (her job keeps her quite busy). despite this, i can easily bare my soul to her and know it is in safe hands. this is an important characteristic in a friend. i often wear my heart on my sleeve and it's nice to know it's cared for.
she is a jewel and i love her.
lori.
here is a girl after my own heart! art, fashion, design...all things fabulous are things we deeply enjoy together. she is a wonderful example of generosity, service and love. and this girl is funny. like, really funny. quick witted funny. humor is a HUGE bonus in a friend.
i admire her greatly and love her so.
terri.
i can't put into words our connection. there is a little bit of all of the previous mentioned things in our friendship. we laugh, we talk, we connect over random things. let me put it to you this way, when i asked her to be one of my maids of honor, she quickly said yes. never mind that she had to drive with us from UT to PA in a weekend (to and from) in order to do it. she was there! she is like a sister to me and i love her.
natalie.
when natalie moved into our ward i admired her from afar. we were acquaintances for about a year before our friendship hit the ground running. she took my appreciation of the arts from an 8 to a solid 10. i loved having someone to have deep, meaningful conversations about movies, books, art, fashion, literary characters....and so much more. she has style, oh does she have style! and she puts her signature on every single thing she does. there is nothing thoughtless about her. at. all.
i am desperate to fly out to VA and visit her...i have had serious natalie withdraws these past two years!! but distance has done nothing to diminish my love for her.
jandi.
from the moment i met jandi i knew i wanted to be around her. she is so much fun. but more than that this girl is ALL heart! she is so generous with all that she has, material, spiritual, mental, and physical. she is the first to volunteer for any service opportunity, but usually she serves in silence and anonymously. i look up to her in so many ways, and yet there is an easy comfort with our friendship. i have born my soul to her probably more times than she wants...but that's the thing, it's easy with her. she makes it all look so effortless too. the word perfect comes to mind (which i know makes her uncomfortable) but she seriously never misses a beat! i absolutely ADORE her!
there are many other women that have touched my life, whom i have been close with and grown with, that i have not mentioned. i could go on and on. how blessed am i??
i will end with these words of wisdom:
"friends become our chosen family."
