Sounding Boards

Today I am grateful for time with my friend Jill yesterday and for a good find for a winter jacket at our local consignment store.

I am fortunate to have friends like Jill. Friends who are my sounding board when I need. Friends who allow me the chance to reciprocate and be their sounding board when they need one. It takes mutual trust and respect. It takes time to develop such friendships. And it takes shared laughter and tears.

Yesterday was my turn to be the listener, the sounding board. Many times, Jill has been the listener, or we have each taken turns. It works over the phone, but I especially appreciate when I can sit across from a friend, or walk side by side with them, and just be together, sharing the time and the conversation.

As the friendship grows and the shared experiences become more numerous, the depth of sharing seems to expand as well. It is an honor and a privilege to be on that level with another person.

Like the sounding boards at a speaker's podium, the sounding boards of friendship need to be built, need to be sturdy. That takes time and patience. I am grateful for my friends and what they have helped me through. I am also grateful for the gift of being a friend, of being trusted.

Friends help me feel connected and worthy. Like a real sounding board, they help me hear what matters.

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