Love Conquers All

We've all hear that in some way, shape, or form...right?

Right.

I am hardly one who's prone to cry.  Anyone close to me knows that.  But today I couldn't help myself.  I cried, and cried, but not for all the troublesome things I'm currently going through.  I don't cry for that because it's pointless.  I cried because of unexpected, unconditional love and friendship.

Really, this blessing couldn't have come at a better time.  Yes, things are tough.  My daughter's medical issues don't seem to have an end in sight.  No, she isn't getting better.  I need to find work to cover these mounting expenses.  This isn't a unique story by any means.  Yeah, and there's a lot of other stuff, too...blah, blah, blah.

But tonight, as I put my son to bed, he prayed for me.  It was so genuine, sweet, and unexpected.  I feel so blessed to be a recipient of his empathy.

And just a few days ago, I reconnected with a friend from 10 years ago.  I tracked him down for a professional reference I'll need on my job quest.  Really?  How do 10 years pass so quickly?  When I talked to him, it's as if no time had passed.  He's one of those few friends who are simply your friend for the sake of friendship - not because you can do something for them, not because they're under your obligation, not even because of necessity.  Just because.  And I LOVE that.  You cannot find many people like that in a lifetime.  Little does he know that he was, for a short period, my mentor, a little bit of a father figure (for lack of having a good one of my own), and best of all, someone with whom you can be completely transparent and honest.  It was touching when he told me he kept a gift from a decade ago, or the recipe I had given him.  I could hardly believe the regard he had for me because, and I'll admit it, there is no reason for it.

And you know what else?  I get to nibble on some pretty awesome chocolates another friend gave me for no reason at all.  Just because.  He's probably a better friend to me than I am to him.  I hope one day to return the favor because he deserves that kind of friendship he's shown to me, even when I didn't deserve it.

But if you think about it, true love and friendship aren't things given because one is deserving.  It is simply GIVEN.