Healing Friendships

Dear Friends,

God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!

Where is your sanctuary?

Yesterday as I was getting ready to head out the door to my painting class, I received a phone call from the school practically pleading with me to substitute teach for them that day. I said, "I'm sorry, but Thursday is the one day that I am not available to teach."

All day on Thursday is the time I devote to my friends of 13 years to get together, paint, talk and of course eat! Yesterday, I did more talking and listening than I did painting, because that was what was needed. I sat and listened to my grieving friend who had been away on vacation for two weeks and couldn't wait to get back to our group to be with us, because we help to heal him from the horrible grief he endures daily.

We welcome new people into our group every season when the new class term begins and we instantly make them insiders. They bring new blood and fresh ideas to our group.

We pride ourselves on loving one another unconditionally, overlooking one another's foibles, focusing on everyone's gifts and graces, and empathizing with each other. We are genuine yet kind in our critques of one another's art and encourage each other in our creative endevors. As a result, we are getting to be better artists every week and the growth in our skills and our ideas is remarkable over a year's time.

We value our relationships so much and frequently recite, "We wish everyone had this kind of a group!"

If you have this kind of support in your life then you are blessed. If not, then how could you create it?

Love, Sue