Friendship Is Like A Rose

I cannot imagine my life without my girlfriends. I have a handful of really special friends who are so important to me.  They are there when I need them to chat, to whine, to share, to reflect and to commiserate. They are also there when, “girls just want to have fun” and play. Each of these women are so special in her own way. How blessed I am to have so many sisters in my life. The support and the understanding I get from these “gals” regarding my Parksions’s are vital to me. I know they are there when I need to vent. I know they are there when I need a ride because it is a bad day to drive. And I know they are there when I just need to just forget that I have a degenerative disease. My job is to let them know where my mind and body are at any given time so they know how to reach me or reach out to me.  How lucky I am that they care enough about me to put so much energy into our relationships. I never take them for granted and I value their friendships more than they will ever know. 

Parkinson’s is tough on friendships. There are many times that my friends and I have had to cancel or postpone our plans because my body decided shakiness and fatigue would overcome me and I simply cannot go. The loving responses I receive from my friends always make me feel better. Their disappointment is replaced with empathy and understanding.

Perhaps there is no greater gift than the love and devotion that comes with a friendship. Remember to take care of it as if it was a beautiful rose bush. Feed it with love, nuture it and give it lots of sunshine to grow and blossom. The joy you will get from it is unlike any other.