Today was a beautiful day in so many ways. The sky canvas was painted dark blue, cloudless all day in the bright warm sunshine. My dearest friend came over from Alexander City and spent the day. Oldest sister-in-law joined us and we went to the Christmas Open House at Awbrey’s feed and seed store. The store was decorated so pretty, so much fun to browse. They have beautiful bird ornaments. They had a delicious snack table featuring food items available for purchase there. The store stocks everything from collard seeds to beautiful Christmas merchandise to bedeck your house and Christmas tree. We love to go there at Christmas time. Chief loved to shop there for his garden seed and plants, so do I.

As I sit here writing and pondering in the lady den, I can see the beautiful sunset, the sun a blinding beam of white light, sliding down a champagne colored horizon. Father Sky will need some sunglasses to kiss the sun goodnight this day. I hope the man in the moon wakes up tonight and helps his star friends light the night sky canopy. The silvery celestial moon greeted Penelope and me today on our morning walk. I love finding him awake and all aglow in the morning hours. He contrasts so beautifully against the azure fall sky. He was really pinned high today so he must have been getting ready for bed.

After doing a little shopping at Awbrey’s, oldest sister -in-law went home, and my friend and I we went thrifting around town. My friend is a skilled thrift store expert. She has the patience of Job and can find the one piece of sterling silver in a messy, dusty box of trinkets. We both captured a few good finds and headed off to Pizza Hut for lunch. We got to Pizza Hut, hobbled up to the door, and the door was locked. We were crushed. We laughed, wondered why there weren’t many cars around, decided they were closed, and headed back to the car.

We had been excited because a sign said “The buffet is back!” We’re all about the buffet. We go around the building and see the pizza delivery man and two other employees talking in the parking lot. We asked them if they were closed and they laughed and said, “We aren’t closed.” They had forgotten to unlock the side door! Well, Pizza Christmas had returned and we parked and hurried in. Course there was no buffet on Saturday but we enjoyed pizzas and salads and a happy, laughter filled conversation.

True friends are such gifts from God. If your friend loves you, cries with you, and celebrates with you, you can trust their words. Real friends are honest and their opinions matter. Friends uplift us, inspire us, and heal us. My friend and I have been friends for almost 45 years. We both lost our husbands a few months apart. We’ve consoled each other on our darkest days.

When my daughter was killed in a car wreck, she was the first one I called. She came rushing over, wearing mismatched shoes, a testament to her willingness to rush to my family in our time of crisis. Close friends help us through the grief of losing a loved one and help us through sickness. They are present in good times and bad times. We accept our friends unconditionally and don’t try to change them. I think the most important part of a close friendship is the ability to truly talk and listen to each other.

My friend and I know how to have a good time and laughter is always joyful in our phone calls and visits. We wear matching pajamas when we spend the night with each other. Haven’t talked her into feeted pajamas, yet, though. We compare our “old lady” escapades and find humor in the dumb things we do in our every day lives. She’s a little younger and part of the working world. I’m retired three years and have learned how to contently porch sit the day away. We talk about sharing a room at Shady Oaks.

We sat on the porch all afternoon, me perched on the swing and her perched on the double rocking chair, moving from one side of the porch to the other as the sun warmed us and the wind cooled us. We watched the birds and the squirrels frolicking on the feeders and drinking from the bird baths.

I’m so grateful for her and my many other friends. Since I’ve been writing a blog I feel I’ve made several new friends through their writings and their beautiful photographs. Michelle Obama said, “Friendships between women, as any woman will tell you, are built of a thousand small kindnesses… swapped back and forth and over again.” This is so true. My friend and I have swapped many kindnesses through out the years.

Friends are the rainbows in our lives. They bring sunshine on the darkest days and laughter on the sunny days. A good friend is always there for you when you need them. Even when we’re not struggling we need our friends. I know I’m fortunate that I’ve been blessed with friends and I’m grateful to them for watching over me and caring about me. I hope they feel I do the same for them.

“True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart,” — Unknown