What is it that binds a life to a life?

Love, passion, partnership, shared vision and outlook on life? Is it something magical that leaves you vulnerable yet strengthened? Is it a commitment you made connected by family, mingled assets, and property? All of the above, and probably more. I could add comfort, the kind of deep satisfaction that you get when you come home, and see their car already parked in the garage.

How do you keep that spark ignited over time? Ask yourself what you see when you look at your partner in life today. Do you see who they are, the whole of them? Do you accept them just the way they are, and the way they aren’t?

These questions contain a deeper inquiry into the nature of relationship, but one thing has become clear to me.
A marriage made in heaven is a friendship here on earth.

Why is friendship important?

Friends tolerate each other’s shortcomings. Yes, you have them!

Friends are interested in what you are doing, and how individual projects are coming along. They make time to go to lunch or dinner, and just download the events of the day.

They notice when something’s wrong. They drop everything if there’s a catastrophe of any kind and you need them. They also tell you the truth with a lot of compassion and care. They give you a shoulder to cry on, and someone to listen to your complaints about life. Then laugh with you once you get off of your “woe is me” story.

When you tire of your excuses, they’re there to listen to your vision of what’s next. You don’t give up on them, and they don’t give up on you. The relationship just get richer with time. Like a tapestry with many pictures, if you pulled on a string it wouldn’t unravel, it would just tell a story.

Friendships fade when you stop paying attention to each other, time passes and so does interest. My friend Lloyd Tupper makes a point to stay in touch with his friends. He has many. He told me something that I’ve never forgotten, when I asked him why he stayed friends with one of the characters from his life. Lloyd said, “He knows the story of my life.” How many people know the real story of your life? Cherish them.

Your practice this week is to connect with your friends including the one who is sleeping next to you.

My love goes with you as you work with this Uplifting Moment.