Library Daze…

Kinships, Friendships, Loves, Life-Long Partners and many other terms have come to define partnerships or bonds outside of blood relatives that we rely on and treat like family. It is loves you choose and ones you relate to because you have a close connection in spirit, heart and soul. People you connect with; laughing and loving life together.

Time passes at such a different rate when you share it with a friend. It slips through the hourglass so quickly it seems unjust. Stories and secrets are carried through the air-landing upon ears listening to help, heal and empathize. These moments shared do heal us and give us that outlet we need for social therapy. Leading us through times of joy and sadness our outlets give us strength and help us end chapters in our lives and start new ones…

The people we choose in life to lift us up and give us those pep talks are the true stars in our lives.. they come in and take away the rest of the world for just a little while. They make you forget about your troubles, hype you up and help you work through whatever was bothering you. You walk away from an hour session with your girlfriend with coping skills, a little buzz from the wine and your entire week planned out. These sessions give us what we need. They grant you the confidence to give it another shot or the ability to walk away. I can only speak to what my gender experiences in our “pep sessions” but it is not limited to women.

I have chosen so many great friendships in my lifetime and I am reminded of them daily.. I have friends that have spanned decades and some that are new. I cannot tell you how much joy that they all bring me. Over the years I have been blessed to encounter some of the most incredible people who have loved me so hard that even on my worst day I could not crack. I have never known a day that I was not loved and shown compassion by family and friends. I have felt alone; I have never been alone.

I am constantly reminded of people no matter how far away, close by but dearly missed or gone but never forgotten. This was the case as I perused the fiction section at the Library recently. I saw an author that reminded me of MAW aka Jan Boles Cagle. I stopped for a moment to remember how much she loved me and how much I loved her; OH how much I miss her! Fern Michaels was her favorite author for a while so memories popped into my head as I ran my finger down the books on that aisle. She always had a way of hyping me up and she meant every word. Jan believed in me and I was so glad, because she was my boss for a very long time. I referred to her as mom at work- and called her MAW. Jan was kind and she loved our students and staff. Working with her was a dream and she gave me opportunities that helped shape who I am as an educator. I was so happy that it all lead to a friendship that turned into family.

I picked up another book about three girlfriends headed out on a tropical vacation as a bachelorette weekend for one of the girls. The outside cover sounded like something I would love to do with my two besties one of which is getting married! So I was swept away for a moment daydreaming about the three of us hanging on a tropical island and the swell of happiness that took over was amazing. I am so blessed to have them and that I can day dream about a vacation with them; that brings me joy. We can get together brunch, lunch, day drink, girls trip, or whatever is needed. I texted them that afternoon to let them know how much I loved them.

I picked up so many books that afternoon that I was there for over two hours. I enjoyed spending my time there it was an afternoon well spent. It taught me to remember my passion extends beyond my writing and into deep depths of the authors who inspired me. Touching the spines of those books flowed a memory bank of inspiration that I will tap into continuously for creativity. My friendships have given me that freedom to be me. To those that have loved me for me you are forever my CHAMPIONS.

Be Blessed. I love you all. XOXO