Musings On Friendship

I think the greatest joy that I have is in the few friendships that I have made.  I have never been one to have oodles of friends. Sure... I know lots of people the world over but, close friends are very few. I always envy those I see hopping on jets for girls' weekends in New York or Vegas, or having weekly dinners filled with girl talk and wine and laughter. I pine for and wonder why I don't have that. Perhaps my life is too busy for such a thing to happen, or I am not the sort that others would think of to spend a getaway weekend with. So when I do get the chance to convene with those that I feel know me the best, I relish in it, as it is truly few and far between.

The selected beads from Michaels. We can fill in with up to two others and our own focals.

I know I have said this before, but I will say it again: Heather Powers is my best friend. We met through this crazy online world, like finding ships in a stormy sea. We took a chance on each other in that airport in 2009. We share a common love and language that neither time nor distance diminishes. I count my blessings every day that she is in my life. She only lives one state away, a mere 6 hour car ride! Unfortunately, I don't get to see her but twice a year, at Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee and at the annual fall Inspired by Nature Retreat in October (are you going? I am!). It is not enough, I tell you! I imagine what it would be like if we lived in the same area... oh the shenanigans we would get into and the collaborations we would make! That would fill my soul with happiness.

The inspiration palette

So when I see that she is hosting a color challenge, and that color is inspired by the fabric of a happy top that I love to see her in, and that fabric was the inspiration for a pretty pendant that I sent to her as a gift, how could I possibly say no?

Simple Truths pendant I created just for Heather... to see what she made, hop on over to her blog
Humblebeads

The quote on that pendant is from the writings of Kahlil Gibran. Someplace I have the copy of The Prophet that my mother had in college. I can remember reading through that book over and over again. As a young teen I kept journals filled with poetry, song lyrics and quotes, including things that I wrote myself. I really should dig those out. I am sure that most of it was pretty trite and angst-y, but it really hints at where I have come from and why I do what I do. In Heather's reveal post she said that I have the heart of a poet. That is one of the finest compliments I think I have ever been given. And it might be because I didn't start working on all of this until after 10pm (the hazards of parking your butt on a bleacher every night of the week) and didn't get finished until after 1am (I am a glutton for punishment and my procrastination knows no bounds), but it made me all misty-eyed this beautiful day.

So to honor my friend, and to share what I made, I will just leave you with the words that inspired my pendant and sum up my feelings for her perfectly (emphasis and slight adjustment to gender, mine).

On Friendship
 Kahlil Gibran

Your friend is your needs answered.
She is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And she is your board and your fireside.
For you come to her with your hunger, and you seek her for peace.

Named for the Indian elephant, Indiraja, who leads the ceremonial procession of one of Buddhism’s most significant festivals, the Kandy Esala Perahera in Sri Lanka. The 10-day parade centered on Kandy’s Sri Dalada Maligawa, the Temple of the Tooth Relic and the elephants trusted for the procession wear elaborate costumes.
Do you see the elephant in this pendant from my friend Vlad at Golem Studio?

When your friend speaks her mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you withhold the "ay."
And when she is silent your heart ceases not to listen to her heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in her may be clearer in her absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.

A sweet little cream enameled bird floats in a swirly Marsha Neal Studios sky.

And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.

A Simple Truths Wanderlust pennant with the message from Tolkien 'not all who wander are lost' on the back paired with gunmetal and old gold accents.

And let your best be for your friend.
If she must know the ebb of your tide, let her know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek her with hours to kill?
Seek her always with hours to live.
For it is hers to fill your need, but not your emptiness.

And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.