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Prayer for Friendship
Forgive, Forget, Move On
Forgive, Forget, Move On How can I ever forget?You tell me forgiving begets forgetting.Easier said than done.I nurse my hurts and keep them close,like treasured souvenirs.Pry open my fists and force them loose.It is time to move on,even though I'm afraid of the road ahead,what it looks likewithout the distraction of old...
Girlfriends: Food, Friends and Fulfillment
Sisters by Choice
Sisters by Choice She's the one I turn to in moments of sheer panic.A straight shooter who tells it like it is.She's the cavalry rushing in, saving me from myself, talking me down from the ledge.Sheís the one...
The Breast of Friends
The Breast of Friends The shower is the best place to check for lumps. Once a month I take my two fingers and go round my breasts in a circular motion, just like I was taught. I do my self-exam twelve...
Symbiosis
Symbiosis: Beneficial Friendships In my school days, I had tracing paper and carbon paper to help me draw, but the former set my teeth on edge and the latter made me sneeze. Nowadays, I still can’t draw a creditable amoeba. One homework assignment I remember particularly well involved creating and dividing an exercise book into three, width-wise.
The Language of Love
The Language of Love Thanks be to Youfor semi-colons,for m-dashes, ellipses, and commas.Glory be in the languages of Earth,in Morse code and Braille,in Swahili and Portuguese.You made us social beings,then gave us the gift that binds,that brings us togetherin conversation, chatter,...
Hearth and Home
Hearth and Home Please make me a better stewardof all those entrusted to my care.Remind me that tending to those I loveis a high honor.Help me to do my part even when I feel wrung out like the laundry on the line,worn out like an old weathered throw rug,left behind like...
Facing the Music
Facing the Music Letting go of the past is quite the sticky wicket.The real challenge is forgiving myself.I brook no more excuses.There was no reason for what I did.How could I? Was that even me?It's not just the specific eventsI can't stop enumerating,it's the way I feel about myselfwhen I remember.Like watching a dam...
Train Wreck
Train Wreck Someone I love is buriedbeneath fear and paralysis.She has forgottenhow gloriously You made her.And I seem to have forgottenthat Your love for herfar exceeds my limited vision. Forgive me for the many yearsI've rushed in to do Your job.My trust in You has beenwavering and impatient.
Coffee and Apathy
Coffee and Apathy Commiserate. "Bitch and moan." Kvetch. The English offer each other "tea and sympathy." What we do here in the states could be better described as "coffee and apathy." Most of us have become fairly adept at seeming to care about the travails of our fellow travelers on the road of life. We issue the appropriate...
Unraveling
Unraveling Her marriage is breaking upand I want to help. Yet I wilt when I think how soon the phone will ring again,pouring her sorrow over my soul.I cannot give the answershe wants the most.I don't know if she will keep him. I don't know if she should keep him. Show me the path that will bring her peace. Please help me find the wordsthat reflect...
It’s Not the Thought that Counts
It’s Not the Thought that Counts It’s the thought that counts. Add that to the list of propaganda and lies you grew up with. Actually, it’s not the thought that counts. It’s what you do that counts. Since last Wednesday, I’ve been thinking about Irwin. His beloved wife Barbara passed away last week after fighting a losing battle with cancer. Barb and Irwin are part of my
My Girls
My Girls As my mother and I sliced cheese and summer sausage at her kitchen counter, my dad lit a fire in the fireplace and asked me, “What time are your girls coming over?” My girls. I felt a stream of giddiness shoot from my gut to my heart—we lived miles apart and our lives had taken very different paths, and yet they were still my girls, my crew, my posse.
Girlfriends: Radio Girlfriends
Chief of Pray, Susan Diamond blog talks with her girlfriend, Debbie Winton, about her blog: Radio Girlfriends. You'll listen in on conversation between two friends about conversations between friends. Radio Girlfriends will wrap up the episode with a prayer you'll be sure to relate to: Gal...
What Happened?
What Happened? I was asked for a favor.I loaned the money:to pay bills, to pay rent,to buy food for the children.She promised to pay me back.Next week turns into next year.The phone calls stop.Our short conversationsof friendship are gone.A need fulfilledturns into friendships end.What happened?
Whole
Whole Though I stomp and whine and moanfor my own idea of completion,I see that You have already made me whole.And so I praise youfor the body that sustains meand the spirit that fills me,for the friends that support meand the family that guides me,for the work that challenges meand the play that thrills me,
Warm Welcome
Warm Welcome You can't know someoneby sizing them up at first glance.It takes effort to really connectwith another human being.So many things separate us,like color, age, and language.But all it takes is heart to come together.Help us to live what we say we believe,and keep the door open to...
Radio Girlfriends
Radio Girlfriends What if you could make money by talking on the telephone to your best friend? That’s what’s been happening to me and my girlfriend Debbie every week. Once again, I bless technology.
Food, Friends, and Fulfillment: The Secret Sauce
Food, Friends, and Fulfillment: The Secret Sauce I’m searching for the secret sauce. Like a great chef— I’m trying to find the recipe that will keep my guests coming back for more. I thought about it again last...
What's in it for Me?
What's in it for Me? This whole experienceI'm growing through,Your message I've received!I must give more to thoseI care for and love.As a parent, guide me to be more reassuring—praising, giving hugs and kisses,every day saying, "I love you."
Gal Pals
Gal Pals They're the ones that I can count on,sure as the beads on an abacus.It is miraculous to mehow You fit them into my life:the childhood friend,the college roommate,the confidante,the sisters by birthand by marriage.Treasures, all...a profusion much greaterthan one woman deserves.Thank You for the bondsforged by...
One of Us
One of Us It's been years since we prayed together, years we could have grown apart but somehow didn't. I see Your hand in this. The same hand that formed us, loud and raucous,
Unparalleled Gift of Community
Unparalleled Gift of Community The friends You have given mebring explosive joy.They bring laughter and hope.They hold and support methrough trials and uncertainty.They give me a sense of purposeby allowing me the opportunityto be an encouragement to them.Through my...
Friend Indeed
Friend Indeed I’m supposed to be good with words, but my friend is so sick.She needs me to cheer her up, to crack wise in my funny accent.I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.What I do know is Who will bring tomorrow.All I can tell her is that there is always hope.Speak through me as I comfort and encourage her,a...
Trust the Connections
Trust the Connections When and whereI will connect with Youisn't something I can predict,yet I judge when and whereothers will make these connections. Only with Youcan I lead without pushing,wait without impatienceand give others the spaceto find You.
Words Do Hurt
Words Do Hurt If only I could take them back!But the words flew out of my thoughtless mouthlike a bullet out of a gun.I watched it pierce,the pain welling up in my friend's eyes.I felt it ricochet through me, too,gutting me to the heart.There seems no end to the waysthat words can harm.I, alone, cannot fix this.
