The Art of Friendship

I was in the bathtub when my mother told me about my first breakup, which was about to happen...

I was a little kid - maybe 2’nd grade (or third?) and my mom was lathering shampoo onto my hair while massaging my scalp, as she shared with me the devastating news:

I won’t be able to have that childhood friend of my dreams anymore…

Some dispute happened between one of that girl’s parents and mine, and that was the end of it.  My world collapsed and it felt like the glorious days of childhood had stopped for me.

The gift of friendship is something I deeply cherish. But I didn’t always know how to build that kind of relationship, without turning it into a game of hyper vigilant score-keeping, as well as being a doormat for others to use whenever they needed…

After leaving my community with my husband and children, and starting from scratch, in a new world that I knew nothing about, I spent two years in utter loneliness.

Because I had lost my faith in humanity.

I gave up on making new friends 💔

When your former community treated you badly and has even tried taking away your children - it is a normal reaction I think🤔 to have your guard up like a promise: not to let anyone come close ever again - to protect yourself from hurt.

The lesson I learned from that experience - I shared on my YouTube channel, and got thousands of views for that story! It showed me something important about the society we live in: We are all starved for meaningful relationships. We wish for that support system, those people who feel like sunshine ☀️ and help you feel better on days when you’re feeling down, and like a shadow of yourself…

But the art of friendship is a skill that needs implementing, and it’s easy to learn!

I was shocked how many views on Instagram I got when I shared about a book with the same title, that luckily I had found at my local library - during that difficult time, and it changed my life!

(The ART of Friendship - by Roger Horchow & Sally Horchow)

This brings me back to the wonderful surprise I got in the mail this past week! Perfect timing, while I was navigating a bit of chaos with hospital visits, and it showed up like a relic of my childhood and brought so much light and joy! I’m thankful beyond words.🙏

My little sister had a pen-pal when I was growing up, and I was jealous! That special feeling of having someone overseas, to whom you can write and read about their life, it felt like the most glorious gift 💗

So now, I got my childhood dream after all 😍

Not only was there a heartfelt HANDWRITTEN letter in my mailbox! 📫 But when I opened the gorgeously penned envelope - from my wonderful new friend, I also found a beautiful gift 🎁! The loveliest hand-crafted bookmark I have ever seen (you can see a glimpse of it in the photo above) and she decorated it with so much care and talent adding words of encouragement as well!

@Mansi has created a magical movement called the Ripple effect. I encourage you to check out her page, with her unique ways in which she is helping create a more kind and more loving world for all of us to live in 💝

To say that I feel blessed to have “met” her is an understatement.

The best part is beautifully summarized in her words in that letter:

“It’s not about texting each other every day, or calling each other every week/month, or sending each other gifts…

It’s about knowing you can reach out after a long silence and you’ll still be loved and heard and held.”

Your words are healing to me Mansi ❤️

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart!