Friendship

       Friendship, as in friends ship in and out of our lives?  Like ships that pass in the night, friends come and go.   Some are brief encounters and the ones we call friends, turn out to be nothing of the sort.  They are the collectors, the ones who steal little pieces of your  heart and soul, and leave  you feeling used and drained.  They take from you and never give you anything back. 
       On the opposite end of the spectrum come the rare gems that we all hope to be lucky enough to find at least one of.  It occurs to me I'm blessed in so many ways, having more than one true friend in my life.  I'm blessed in the respect that an old friend has come back into my life, a decade passing in between our last encounters.  The friendship has held fast, despite the time and space between us; it is renewed, refreshed, as we are with each other.   Ten years made into a nanosecond as the joy surged into my heart at the sound of her voice.   We now share each others thoughts and dreams on a daily basis, surprising each other with the similarities and life experiences that we have in common. 
       We admire each others' strengths, and reach out our hands to help through the weaknesses.  We know when to speak, and when to just listen and are aware when the silence bespeaks a thousand words.  I'm here, I tell her, and it echos across the miles and bounds back to me from across the sea; I'm here, she tells me.   I feel her hand on my shoulder when I have a difficult experience to relate and mine is extended to her, as well.
         I thank you, my friend, for being there, I'm glad our ships passed in the bright day's sun so we couldn't miss each other.  I'm glad the technology exists that allows us to still be close in spite of actual miles between us.  Be strong, be safe and know you are loved.