MONDAY MEDITATION

The Gift of Friendship is Acceptance

Can you allow yourself to be a good friend?

Created in Canva by Nancy Blackman

Spirit, help me to be the best friend to myself and to others.

I have personally found friendship to be tricky. Part of that has been due to a dysfunctional relationship with my mother, which causes me not to trust women. I’m getting better with that, though.

Acceptance is the universal currency of real friendship. . . It does not warp or shape or wrench a person to be anything other than what they are.

— Joan Chittister

Now I recognize the gift of friendship, and those friends who accept me the way I am are true gifts in my life. And my eternal hope is that I accept my friends for who they are and cheer them on to be the best version of themselves.

But, there was a time when I only had male friends. Now I have a mix of both. And, my bestie is a woman, so that points to growth, right?

Here’s the tricky part of friendship. At the core, friendship is based on respect, sharing, honesty, and loyalty. It takes time for this to play out, especially when dealing with trauma currently or from the past.

Friendship takes time to develop and be nurtured between two people. When the busyness of life can find rest in a friendship, this is a gift.

The fifth cup of tea between friends is the best.

— Chinese Proverb

The explanation of this proverb goes like this. In ancient China, tea was made by pouring hot water over loose tea in a cup. Tea leaves can be used over and over again just by increasing the steep time with every serving.