Soul Food

So it wasn't the Greek vacation I have been pining for, but I sure enjoyed my two days on the Forgotten Coast. I knew I was way past due for a break when I got down there and had left the key to the condo back at home. Thank goodness the contractor was coming to finish up on Monday and had the spare key! If we had come home to get mine, I would have just stayed here and I believe that would have been really bad for my soul.

My College BFF also happens to be a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. How blessed am I? There I was, fit to be tied after four weeks of being home all day with Sammy and in the dumps about my love life and anxious about all sorts of other things out of my control. And then I got two days of professional counseling from one of the most intelligent people in my life...with no co-pay. The timing couldn't have been better.

I'm a talker. And I don't mind sharing my weird little thoughts and all my opinions with my besties. This drives my mother crazy. She would be just as content if she didn't see or speak to another person for a week. She doesn't understand my need for interaction and girl-talk. "It's not like y'all are solving the world's problems." My friends don't live far from me and I see most of them frequently, but I can still have hour-long phone conversations with any of them on any given day. And no, we don't solve the problems of the world. But we vent frustrations, share how-tos, listen to each others' perspectives, gripe about kids and the price of gas and yes, okay, there may be a little gossip going on. It feeds our need for a sense of camaraderie. And it saves our sanity. One of my friends had been nudging me to do something about the demise of my most recent relationship and then this one arrived to help me process it and move on. How utterly perfect is that? (Pun most definitely intended.)

The Lord puts people in our lives for a reason. Some are passers-by and some grow roots. We may not realize what some have taught us until they have moved on and we may see our blessings from others each day. Either way, we are enriched by the friendships we create and the familial relationships that we foster. I count my friends with my blessings each day. And I truly hope that I am as much of a blessing to them as they are to me. This weekend was full of porch time and meaningful conversation and I have come home feeling relieved of some emotional baggage. The salty Gulf breeze, steady hum of trawlers and wise and gentle counsel of a dear friend was food for my soul. Thanks, Cuzin!