Staying Power

Remember how new love felt when you were young? It was tingly, almost magic. There was nothing else like it. It was physical, in your stomach and in your heart. This feeling was like the Holy Grail, something to strive for, something worth seeking. (At least, that's what I thought at the time.)

Now I am older, and happily married, but I still get this feeling. It's from new friendships...well, maybe that is also new love. How exciting it is to meet another woman with similar interests who appears to like me and SAYS it!

I don't mean she has to say "I like you", which is nice, she can also say this in other ways. I recently had a new friend tell me she liked me by saying "Stay" when I was starting to go. That spoke volumes to me!

It was a church event that my husband did not participate in and I planned to go home with him instead of the cast party afterwards. In fact, I was feeling a little 'disconnected' without him, as we are usually in service together, so I wasn't really 'up' for a party. She said "Stay, please stay. It will be fun. Stay." My husband also encouraged me, so I reluctantly stayed. I am so glad I did!

I was able to visit more with her and other friends, the food was great, and I got to sign a gift for our Choir Director, who thanked me for coming. That, in itself, amazed me. I really didn't think it would matter to anyone that I was there, but it did...and it mattered to me.

I read a quote from a magazine afterwards, that perfectly expresses how wonderful friends can be: "'Stay' is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary." by Louisa May Alcott. I will never forget the salve the word "stay" gave me that day. God bless my friends for being there---even when I don't know I need them to be!