Friendship looks like a letter in the mail from someone you see maybe once a year. Growing up, you would not dare to believe that friendships could exist outside of daily viewings - aka, if you don't see someone, then obviously they are not a part of your life. But now that I am adulting, I realize that most of my closest friends are not near me at all. They may live 30 minutes away or an entire country away. But friendship doesn't have to look like coffee dates every week; it can be letters in the mail full of all the good words that inspire, warm, and clothe you with grace. Words that build you up and tell you who you are.
Friendship looks like being sisters and sisters-in-law. Caring for one another and rooting one another on. Listening to each other and crying with each other and sharing with each other. Friendship looks like having each others back, taking sisters to get nails done, and buying dinner together.
Friendship looks like hikes in the woods, exploring unknown territories. It looks like bike rides and tea, sitting on comfy cozy couches and dodgeball. It looks like babysitting when you could use a night off and it looks like taking pop sickles to your momma friend with sick babies; it also looks like picking berries.
Friendship looks like standing outside in the dark, after a long meeting, talking about the most feely of things within. Things like frustration about our bitter hearts that have little reason to hold such ugly prickles. Things like the fear of never carrying a child, being broken for the multitude of broken families surrounding, and hating disease. Heavy things that are not often spoken of; but here in this place of friendship, it is safe and spoken and cried out. It is prayed over and reminded that this earth is broken.
It looks like speaking Truth with grace, but honestly...it is truthful because that is loving.
Friendship looks like sending knitted squares back and forth. Imperfectly beautiful knitted squares to create two friendship blankets. True story, totally happening right now.
It looks like saving small amounts of money each month to take a trip to visit your college roommate, who is now married with a little one of her own, and lives in Canada.
It looks like seeing someone one time a year and maybe talking 3 times a year, but doggone it, you are friends.
It looks like picnic baskets filled to the brim with a perfect date night in when you're feeling sick. Because friends know what's going on in your life and friends care for you.
Friendship is a plethora of things and I love it. I love friendship because they exist on so many levels, looks different with a multitude of humans. And that is okay. What is friendship to you?