Dear Reader:

An article I was skimming recently contained a fascinating Harvard study that lasted eight decades..until the participants were well into old age…

It tracked 200 men for 80 years and, based on their findings, concluded  that what matters most in living a happy life is…“our relationships.”

“Friendships where we have deep bonds and can show up as we are, seem essential to making it through life. It’s not about the number of friends, in fact, Aristotle would say, “He who hath many friends hath none,” but about the quality of the relationships.” –Guri

It appears that friendships are more sustainable and  persevering than even more intimate relationships like spouses and boyfriends, girl friends, etc. I have never thought of it in  this way but the following quote makes us stop and pause…

“FRIENDSHIP MARKS A LIFE EVEN MORE DEEPLY THAN LOVE. LOVE RISKS DEGENERATING INTO OBSESSION, FRIENDSHIP IS NEVER ANYTHING BUT SHARING.” –ELIE WIESEL

Of course, in the best marriages and long-term relationships …if your spouse IS your best friend…you have a ‘double-click’ chance of  a life of happiness and fulfillment!

At some point in life…don’t we all reach a benchmark when we fall back on earlier friendships that meant so much to us at one time…we seek a history with friends who knew us when. These are the most powerful friendships….based on longevity.

There was another bestseller that took the world by storm…anybody remember THE SHACK? It was published in 2007…Can you believe it has been thirteen years since that book came out?

There were two coinciding themes in the popular “read”- In a nutshell…forgiveness and the idea that life is all about  relationships is the ultimate secret to understanding our roles on earth. Popular quotes from this book are:

“Life takes a bit of time and a lot of relationship.” 
― Wm. Paul Young, The Shack

“Each relationship between two persons is absolutely unique. That is why you cannot love two people the same. It simply is not possible. You love each person differently because of who they are and the uniqueness that they draw out of you.” 

There is no doubt that without the technical communication that exists today…a lot of people would probably be in trouble…having no one to text or email or phone to hear their voice or see on Face time. If the pandemic had happened a decade ago…we would really be suffering more from loneliness and isolation than we are now.

As we get older we come to realize that the seeds of friendship we planted in our earlier years are still blooming…and more beautiful now than ever before. The only thing missing is touch….the day when we can hug again should become  World Hug Day...I can’t wait to be there.

So until tomorrow…we can only dream of “The places we’ll go” unless we stop and follow the rhythm of the heart or spread out our journey until we meet our soul waiting to greet us with “Where have you been all my life? So glad you made it. Welcome home!” 

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

*Harriett also left this mini-shell vase with the “pink sisters” working together to advance research on “little c” ….

And now Welcome to the latest beauty blooms…..

My hanging hydrangeas basket…love the delicate blooms!

*Another day…another Edwards gal stopped by…this time it was Gin-g with two brownies…I love brownies! Chocked full of walnuts…delicious!!!

Thanks Gin-g! Gin-g is also the “queen” of sending snail mail. The card that accompanied the brownies was beyond nice…a day lifter! 🙂

Happy World Emoji Day….as Gin-g shared with me when she stopped by….hearts and prayers are her “go to” emojis. The more I thought about it…the more it seemed to fit. People do use hearts more than any other emoji and pressed hands can be a greeting or a thank you in Japan….and a prayer elsewhere.

***But isn’t it fitting, during these trying times, that we can still take heart and pause to pray…ending with a “thank you” of gratitude to God for being there with us?