Just a Woman with a Sharpie: October 2016

Heart Friends

Day 195 ~Year 3

Team Zybko

October 4, 2016

Heart Friends. There is no possible way for you to pick them on your own. That is definitely not our job. That important choice and task is in the hands of someone must bigger than us. Heart friends are gifted to us. God knows us, who we need and when. He is good like that.

I can't help but smile as I figure out the right words for this post. Heart friends have that affect on me as they often dance, skip and jump across my mind at the oddest of times. The souls of these ladies are rich and their faces are always bright with love and support.

My mother would always tell me if you can count your life long good friends on one hand you are doing pretty good. So true. Very wise that lady.

This sentiment has proven the same for my special heart friends as well.

Although, unless you have this type of relationship in your life, it's a bit hard to explain the difference between a bestie and a heart friend. Here is the simplest way I can say it.

Heart friends actually require nothing from each other. The give and take or Yin and Yang just simply works with little effort from either side.

Like a commute to work when you make every light, pick a travel mug that fits perfectly in the cup holder and the radio stays tuned to your favorite songs that you know every single word to. While in other relationships you may come across a few red lights or spill a bit of your latte on your pants. Not in a bad way but in a real life way.

There are no expectations with heart friends and none of the normal rules of a relationships to follow. Time spent together is often in private prayer, a quickie scripture text or a handwritten snail mail card. In many cases very little face to face interaction ever happens.

One could say the downside to that is;

I couldn't tell you how my heart friends take their coffee, what kind of driver they are, when their birthday is (without being prompted by Face Book) or the funny way they order their favorite meal at that yummy Mexican place we love. All those things don't really matter in heart friend love. That is the beauty of it all.

For whatever reason I have had a bit of bloggers block lately. A lot of back spacing, deleting entire paragraphs and more often than not allowing blog posts to collect months of cyber dust as they are shoved in the back corner my draft folder.

BUT....having recently received a very special envelope in the mail I have been prompted to get a few notes down to accurately explain this type of unique friendship.

I consider one of the biggest and most important roles we have to play in life is a picker-upper, to always encourage others with Jesus type love and little deeds to those in our inner circle and beyond. A cheerleader and shoulder to lean on when the chips are down. Heart friends often fill those shoes with out even knowing they are doing it. It's instinctive.

My MVP heart friend of late has had a truly hard season. And by season I mean more than the standard 3 month season. It's been a difficult, long, and spiritually growing season the last few years since loosing her beloved husband, best friend and if I could guess, her biggest fan.

She amazes me with her faith and courage to tell her story from this side of death, as the one left behind. I am positive she has inadvertently helped more people than she will ever know as she continues to heal out loud.

I do believe I am getting side tracked.

I big puffy heart you Scarlett!

So, I have to say, opening the squeaky, metal door to the mail box every day is exciting to me. Seriously. Maybe I'm a dork, maybe I'm I little old fashioned, maybe I need to get out more. This day was no different except by the time I reached my front door I was in tears from a wonderful treasure of words and a 5x7 piece of artwork held tightly in my hand for safe keeping.

I suppose I needed a little cheer myself that random Wednesday afternoon despite the Louisiana sunshine burning a swamp sized hole in my retina.

Here's the thing. The evolution of friendship often includes discovering the layers about a person. Interesting layers, only found after years of spending time together, Heart friend or not, this is the good stuff. The Oreo double stuff creme filling. Months of laundry with no lost socks. The sweet smell of a babies neck. A full tank of gas. A corner piece of birthday cake. Yep, that kinda good stuff.

This beautiful drawing of a leaf shows just that. A rediscovered talent to once again explore and share with others. Who knew? Dang Scarlett, you really are quite a talented artist!

I LOVE it! It reminds me of those greeting card sets, done by local artists you might see at cutesie Charleston gift shop or something. I would totally buy it, now there is an idea. You are welcome :)

I'm guessing at this point you are rolling your eyes and perhaps blushing a tidy tad cause, well, that's how you are, wonderfully humble, no spotlight needed. I will however stop here, knowing with a grin from the bottom of my gut you won't be upset with me sharing this here.

Thank you and please know I will keep it forever, framed and hung in a special place of my home and heart, making me smile daily just like our heart friendship.

XOXO