Bonds of friendship

Kelly Scarrow

Friendship comes in many forms.
For some, friendships come easily and frequently and for others friendships are burdensome and draining.
Over the years I have learnt that true friendship is a rare and beautiful thing. It takes nurturing, testing and time to cultivate a friendship that marks membership to my nearest and dearest circle of friends.
Last week, one of my dear friends passed away. She was my friend, my confidant and my ally.
Our friendship was an instant bond, initially out of our mutual love of books and knitting but grew into a mutual love of our community and each other. We often plotted on how we could make a difference to our community and it often saw the partaking of a cheeky glass of wine or two!
My friend's steadfast belief in me and my work inspired and motivated me more than she will ever know. She was my sounding board for the wacky ideas for community projects and her enthusiasm and support saw those ideas flourish and succeed well beyond our wildest expectations... Much to her delight!
Our wide age gap mattered none and if anything only deepened my love and respect for her. Being her friend was both an education and an honour and she has left quite an impression on my view of live and for that I am forever grateful.
Saying goodbye is never easy, even when you know it's evitable and the end of one's suffering. My sadness has shifted to a sense of gratefulness to having known a woman who was as fearless and inspirational as her.
As I grow older my tight circle of friends remains just that... a circle. A never-ending symbol of companionship, unconditional love and support. Being a friend is at times hard and uncomfortable. The responsibility to have a hard, honest conversation with a friend whose behaviour is dangerous or destructive, is difficult to say the least and thankfully not something I need to do on a regular basis! Being a true friend requires a level of honesty and integrity that enables you to always have each other's best interests at heart.
I hope that we all have friendships that are deep, rich and full of memories and love. Taking the time to tell our friends what they mean to us and to thank them for all that they do for us is important but too often left unspoken.
I know my friend knew I loved and appreciated her, but to what extent, probably not.
So, thank you my dear friend for encouraging me to take chances. For showing me ill health was no barrier to getting on with life.
For conspiring with my husband for the marriage proposal that no girl could turn down and for quite simply... allowing me to be your unlikely friend.
Live life to the fullest, to the deepest and always, always with heart.
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