Love...in the Garden

Anyone who blogs can attest that friendship knows no boundaries; it is not limited to geography and isn't borne simply because two souls happened to be physically present in the same location. Like a tree, friendship has roots that can grow and stretch and weave itself into the lives of many, joining them together under an umbrella of love.

I feel so very fortunate to be friends with the most amazing women, many whom I have "met" not by conventional methods, but through the act of blogging. While I have yet to physically meet a majority of these beautiful women, I feel as though they have been a part of my life for many years. There are times when I literally forget that we have never met in person, because over the years, my heart has learned the sound of their voices and memorized their individual faces through photographs on their blogs.

I have a lovely group of girlfriends from my LiveJournal days who, upon learning about the loss of my little brother in late November, rallied together to send me one of the most thoughtful and loving gifts I have ever received. It arrived in the mail on Friday and left me speechless:

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I opened the package and read the card; it was filled with beautiful words of support and encouragement, followed by the names of 25+ ladies, only TWO of whom I have actually met in real life. This tiny gesture of friendship, so pure, so genuine and so completely unexpected, was enormous in its love. The tears came; they were not tears of sorrow or loss, but of gratitude and thanks for their gift of their friendship. Who knew that these two beautiful garden stones would evoke such emotion?

This lovely group of women that I am lucky enough to have in my circle of friends did some major homework, all acting as pretty, little MetaCrawlers, combing through this blog to find the perfect sentiment that encompasses the spirit of both my brothers. Their chosen "at peace and flying free together..." are the exact words I have used in previous posts. Perfection.

I feel so blessed to have the friends that I do. I love that some of my closest friends are ones I met through a shared love for writing. I love that our friendship is strong enough to withstand geography.

I love my friends.

And I hope that as you read this, there are a number of you bloggers out there nodding your head in agreement, because YOU too, have friends like these.

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