Ask Elnora-- about friendship--Lenora Worth

Darlings, I am at the beach at beautiful Orange Beach, Alabama with a group of ladies I call the Surf  Sisters. You   have heard me mention them before. They are my dear friends and I'm happy to be back with them for the weekend. That got me to thinking about what true friendship means. I can tell you what it means to me:

It means laughing until you cry. It means crying when you pour out your heart then crying until you can finally laugh again. It means fighting like sisters but defending each other like warriors. It means shopping until you drop, then modeling what you bought and comparing notes to see who got the best bargain. ( I once got a suede coat that was priced at $250.00 for $1.08. Yes, one dollar and eight cents!!)  It means life, death and birth. It means carrot cake and coffee and trail mix and happy trails. It means knowing someone is in your corner even when you've painted yourself into that corner.  It means no matter how far away you are, when you get back together you are home.

What does true friendship mean to you?  Let's discuss!!

Old Friends are New Part 2

Missy Tippens again, continuing with part two of my post from yesterday. I'd like to introduce you to my good friend, Lindi Peterson. I did an interview with Lindi about friendship. And as I promised, she dishes a little "dirt" on me. :)

M: What do you consider the most important characteristic of a good friend?

L: Loyalty.

M: What things do you have in common with your best friends?

L: Faith, laughter, interests, compassion, willing to listen when a friend needs it.

M: What are your favorite activities to do with friends?

L: Get together and hang out and talk. I love writers retreats with my writer friends, I love bowling with my friends, I love family reunions where I can see my family. Generally I really like being around people.

M: Okay, I promised you'd tell something funny or embarrassing about me. So I give you permission to share. :)

L: I hope this isn't too embarrassing but I love how we can room together because I sleep through anything and apparently you snore, but I don't hear you---oh, unless you scream in your sleep--now that I do hear!! I would like to add that it's easy being friends with you (Missy!). We have so much in common, we can talk about anything. I feel like you are one of those people in my life whom I can turn to for anything at anytime. I get excited for you--am sad when you are---I really enjoy being such close friends with you.

Missy here again. Okay, so she softened the embarrassing info with kind words. Nice move. :)

It's wonderful to have such a good friend who I can call on for prayer, for advice, for encouragement and support. Thank you, Lindi, for being on our blog today!

Now for our readers... What do you consider the most important characteristic of a good friend?

There is no friend like....

There is no friend like an old friend
Who has shared our morning days,
No greeting like his welcome,
No homage like his praise.
Fame is a scentless sunflower
With gaudy crown of gold,
But friendship is the breathing rose
With sweets in every fold. --Anonymous

I am a thrift shop-rummange sale aficionado. I found a framed picture made to look like an old cross-stitched sampler with this brief poem. I love these lines of verse because to me they gives the essence of friendship.

As Janet said in her post yesterday, there is a line where an acquaintance becomes a friend. And then ever after--that person is endowed with a special importance in our lives. What they think about us matters more than what countless others think of us. Their praise means the most. Their disappointment can cut us deeper. What hurts them, hurts us. What makes them happy, makes up happy.

And I love the last two lines because they portray how empowering, yet how private and powerful the effect of true friendship is.