To Be Known

Loving people and being trusted, I think are two of the most beautiful, inspiring things.

It's filling and draining - good and painful. It's a chance for a deeper knowing of someone, if we choose to listen. It's a chance to glimpse Jesus' love in a moment of letting down barriers between ourselves. Trust and Love.

 I'm more and more realizing we can only know others so well this side of heaven.... Because we all have dark spots and pain that doesn't quite make it into words - history, memories, broken bits... But we also all have beautiful joys, strengths and experiences no one but Jesus can truly understand the depth of ...

So we live and we reach, and we laugh and we dream, and we grow - going through life expressing pieces of ourselves to others, but not our true fullness... But someday we shall know as we are fully known... And I find a lot of peace in that.

#TryingToPutWordsToEmotions 

"To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us."

~Timothy Keller

~Ophelia - Marie ZA

Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/?photo=I63YZy3S9Ns

Sending Out Roots

      First off, I'll preface this post with a bit of explanation. As a lot of you know, I'm getting married next month and thereafter moving from Michigan to Pennsylvania. I'm super excited and can't wait to move into this new stage of life.

     That being said - Goodbyes are hard... They always are for me. (And I've written a lot about goodbyes.) I'm getting to the point where I'm acknowledging that my relationship with a lot of people is getting ready to change. I won't physically be close any more, and it won't be so easy to go hang out.

     I was talking to a friend last week and told her, "I just love them so much! .... When I went away for the summer and came back, nine people quit - and some of them were people I really liked - but then these coworkers came, and now I love them too... I keep reminding myself that this reminds me there are always new people to know and love, wherever I go."

    Saturday I was a part of my best friend's wedding - (and there is a ton I could say about that, but it's not the topic I'm rambling about right now.) I had some time Friday night at rehearsal dinner, and again several times on Saturday, to reconnect with a mutual friend I hadn't seen in about a year.

     I've probably only met her less than half a dozen times, but seeing her, there is an easy sense of, "Oh. I love you." She is such a deep and thoughtful person who speaks well on God's love and is able to share His goodness. She amazes and delights me in the way she brings depth so seemingly easily into conversation. I thought about aspects of who Jesus is differently than I had before... It was simple goodness, sharing in fellowship together.

      At the reception, I also got to meet a fellow writer, and we talked about writing, the hardness of accepting critique, and where she hopes her business will go. We exchanged FB info, and I told her when she's ready, I'd try to point her to some people who have been helpful to me when I first was looking at Self-Publishing.

    Now what does all this have to do with each other?

   Sometimes all the goodbyes of different stages of life make it difficult for me to want to reach out my roots and make more connections in the moment.... But In many ways lately, I feel I've been reminded how worth-it it is to hold people tight and love them fully in the time I have.

    Love is a risk in a way. My heart can want to pull back a bit, the closer goodbyes come. A bracing against the sadness that I feel...

    But tomorrows are never promised... I never truly know when goodbyes are final... and I've found there is so much joy in loving people in the moments I'm given...

    Whether that's 8 months getting to know some new coworkers. Whether its a few hours with a girl who encourages my heart to see Jesus. Whether it's a conversation where I can encourage someone in their goals...

    Love is a good, good thing. God made us to love, and care for each other. To inspire, uplift, and encourage each other.

   Laugh if you will - but here's one of my plants... It's a broken off leaf from one of my bigger plants. There is a wound on it that I don't know how it happened, but it's still got a lot of life... I moved to a new pot in hopes that it would grow.

   

     And here are its roots... Roots that I'm so proud of, because I've waited weeks to see any sign of them...

     There are things in life that hurt us - perhaps wounds we don't even quite know how they happened, just that they grew over time. There are times - even good times - where we are moved from one place to another... And we can send out new roots. Roots to touch people, to give and receive life, and to better embrace the places God has put us.

    That is what I'm being shown again... The beauty of sinking roots in, and having joy in the times of life I'm living.

~ZA

Musings on Love

Pinterest

Talking to friends tonight, and seeing God's Love through them...

We can't love as we ought to - not perfectly, not all the time. We can't even love decently on our own... not really. We tend to hurt people we should love best because of our pride and insecurities. But God tells us how we are to Love - and He shows us.

When we feel: Restless. Angry. Overwhelmed. Small. Broken. Tired. Impatient - God still calls us to Love... He sent His Spirit so we would not be alone to figure out how to love. He is willing to teach us - prick us - hold us - grow us - so we can love more and more like He does.

God's Spirit lives in me. Praise God - I am not on my own trying to muddle through life. I have a Helper - I have a Friend - I have a God who fully knows me.

I don't have to give in to my own emotions, or break under circumstances around me. I can choose to love, because the God of Love Chose me.

That's a peace-filling thought.

~ZA

Tell Me A Story Of Loyalty

I've always loved stories of deep loyalty. Tonight I'm pondering a lot of threads and seeing how they cross each other.

As a child as young as six, I told stories to myself to help me fall asleep... The one I remember and have written in an old journal was about the adventures of Ophelia the cat. She led a group of orphan children who lived in the woods, fishing and having adventures... Even then it seems I had a fascination with the idea of leadership and family.

My most frequent type of dream involves running and leading. I'm usually unafraid as I lead groups of people through forests, down metal tunnels, across rooftops... Sometimes I am afraid. Sometimes I turn and fight.... They're exhausting dreams, but interesting none the less. They remind me every time that somewhere in my brain, I'm still wanting to protect people, even while I sleep.

The only story I've ever truly worked on is all built around this feeling of protecting those you love. Rider of Pure Motion is a present day story about a girl who finds dragon eggs and ends up leading a group of dragons and their riders. She doesn't want to. She's afraid to trust, but they stay by her. They fight and tease and grow into a loyal family... I don't know how to make the story all it is in my head, but the emotions that wrote it means I'll never be able to shake those characters from being dear to me. Most people who know me know I like the Ninja Turtles. I love how they are family. They bicker and tease - they protect each other and work as a team. Leo interests me in his desire to lead, but his deep fear that he's going to let them down. It's a kid show, granted - but there are still those themes that drew me in as a child and keep me still. The themes that runs through my dreams, and resurface in books I love the best, and in my own writing. Leadership. Protecting the weak. Friendship. And yes - Loyalty. As I'm considering stories tonight, I'm sorting out what draws me to certain ones so deeply. I'm wondering at my own dreams and writing....

Ender's Game

Red Rising

Sparrows in the Scullery

The Unwind series

--

Agents of SHIELD (Especially the earlier seasons.)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

What do these books and shows have in common besides being stories I love? I will protect you. Even at cost to me - I will protect you, become your family, give what I have, and stand by you. They don't circle around romantic attraction - though some of them have that in the story - it's about friendship.

What makes friendships turn into family-like bonds? What makes leaders worth following? What moments break or make loyalty? What are they willing to do to protect each other, even at risk to themselves? Even if your story drags in parts or has some confusing plot holes - if you can make me love the characters for their loyalty for one another, I will probably love your story... Because that? That is real.

There is so much more I could say, but for now I will stop because it's almost 2AM. Some blog posts are meant to be an outpouring of thoughts, not well-thought-out pieces. That's why I have this blog. ;)
I suppose I'll end up writing on this topic more in the future - there's so much to ponder.

----

What are your thoughts on loyalty and how it makes good stories?

And all that to say... Do you have any book recommendations?

~Ophelia - Marie

**Photo 1 - Pinterest Link

Photo 2 - Pinterest Link

Someone To Walk With - Shared Post (1)

Original Picture Link

        God has designed us for fellowship, for friendship.  In the gospel, God reconciles enemies to himself and makes them friends.  He then makes his friends members of a community of friends (the church) and gives specific instruction as to how those friendships are to work (the 'one anothers').  Jesus regularly withdrew from the crowds and from his closest companions.  Yet much of his earthly life was spent in the presence of his friends.  Should we choose a different path?  Do we not need time alone before God in prayer and meditation? And do we not need the accountability and encouragement that comes via friendship?
                                      Click to read the rest of the post....

In Genesis 2: 18, God says that it is not good for man to be “alone.” This statement has more to do with God’s design for humanity than Adam’s neediness. God created us to be relational beings because He is a social God. God lives in community within the Trinity as Father, Son, and Spirit, and He made humanity in His image. Genesis 2 is not speaking primarily to Adam’s experience of being lonely as much as it is revealing his nature as the person God created him to be. Because God created a communal being— someone designed for relationships— creation is incomplete without a suitable companion. While Genesis 2 does address how male and female complement each other, the implications are broader to include all human relationships.

Relationships: A Mess Worth Making 

by  Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

 (NIV)

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:

 

If either of them falls down,

    one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

    and has no one to help them up.

 

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

    But how can one keep warm alone?

 

Though one may be overpowered,

    two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.


~Ophelia - Marie

Of W.E.I.R.D. - Of Friendships - Of Love

           Just before I turned 16, I joined a Christian online writers' forum. There, I ended up meeting some of my closest friends. Some of them I've been able to meet face to face - some of them only through Skype or phone calls - and others only through type-chatting... And they've become to mean the world to me.

(From the wedding I went to this November - 2 online friends getting married to each other -
and a couple days spent with laughter with them... )

            They are truly there for me - some people may say online friendships can't be true ones - but I've lived enough years with them to know that's not true. They've helped me with projects, and writing - and allowed me to do the same in turn for them. They make me laugh - until I can't breathe, and I'm squeaking, and our teasing is rampant.  And they've made me cry - cry for their hurts and sorrows - and they've cried with me; listening when I just need to talk. They are there when I need prayer - big or small, life-shattering, or little worries - they pray for me.They share in my life - some have been there since the beginning - some are newer - and some have faded in time... They've been friendships that have changed my life.

      Ya know what some of them did for me as a Christmas gift? They took my friendship poetry book, and recorded themselves reading different poems. I've been  crying - and laughing - and crying some more. There's more love than I'm able to fully process...

         This poem I wrote to them - about them - back in 2012... and it has become even more true over the years. 

To My Internet Friends

(Read by Camilla Uphaven)

              Almost every week a few of us get together on Skype - sometimes for upwards of four or five hours - and it's something I always look forward to. We are W.E.I.R.D - Weirdos Encouraging and Inspiring Real Dialog.

           Certain online friendships - you get to the point where you can just enjoy each other's company on Skype without needing to always be saying things. When ya can go into listening to music together, and sending links to things back and forth, and just hanging out - drifting between laughing and talking, and then mostly quiet.

       We do that with my WEIRD group sometimes - when people ask, "How do you talk for that many hours?" Sometimes we don't. Sometimes people go about doing their own thing - and we are simply together. We make food, and do chores, and fold laundry, make crafts, and throw links at each other - and yes - we do talk too. We laugh, and are strange, and update each-other on our week, and talk about projects and ideas, and stuff...

      There's a certain comfortableness in friendship where you can simply hang out and do life - even when you're far, far away.

       Last night - this is the one that especially made me cry hard. Like, start shaking a little... It's the overwhelming of memories, and love, and the continued realization of all that went into recording 73 poems...

                           

A Time Ago 

(Read by Jordan Miller.)

  l'm still listening to poetry today - poems of friendship, in a project put together by my friends... I needed to express the joy I'm feeling, and how loved I feel this morning - again - so I've wandered to my blog. ;)

The People In My Life

(Read by Susie Buckley.)

           I have some amazing friends. I really, really do.

                                                      ~Ophelia - Marie

A Giveaway And Book Release!

*** WINNERS ARE LISTED ON THE RAFFLECOPTER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE!***

              I am pleased to announce that I have recently published my forth poetry book, Colored Highlights and Drifting Shadows ~ Friendship's Moments, with a gorgeous cover design by BushMaid Design.

            Friendship is full of highlights and shadows. Sometimes it is bright and joyful as we learn, build trust, grow, and laugh together. Other times it is dark and confusing as we get hurt, question, change and sometimes even break apart. 
          In many ways, friendship changes who we are - the way we view the world, how we live, what we reach for, and who we trust. It is a reminder of our fallen nature - It is an even greater reminder that we are not meant to walk alone. 
           This book of poetry, quotes, and scripture explores both the joys and pains bound in friendship, and seeks to share many of the lessons we learn from each other.

Prize Package #1:

1 signed copy of Colored Highlights and Drifting Shadows ~ Friendship's Moments + 1 signed copy of  Writers' Colors and Dreams + a Notebook  and a wooden pencil + A  two dragon necklace

Prize Package #2: 

1 signed copy of Colored Highlights and Drifting Shadows ~ Friendship's Moments + 1 signed copy of  Writers' Colors and Dreams +  a Scaled-pattern notebook  + a Turquoise coffee mug 

  

I also am giving away prizes on my Clay Page - ZA's Clay Critters on Facebook, if you'd like to head over there and take a look around.

What others are saying about this book:

"This collection of poetry on friendship took some time for me to finish. It was not because it was difficult to understand, but because there was so much of it that brought back memories for me. Friendship is one of those things that is deep enough on an emotional level that it can leave you full at its peak or empty at its transition. Ophelia seems to have captured much of what is experienced in friendship with the words written here. Rightly named, 'Colored Highlights and Drifting Shadows - Friendship's Moments' uses rhyme and other literary tools to express what many of us may feel but don't know exactly how to say. Ophelia takes us on a journey through the many terrains that friendships take, including the valleys of indifference and betrayal, the mountain peaks of comradery and the climb in between. I have enjoyed her ability to weave words in such a way that conveys a strong message with simplicity, but I believe that this book will most likely sit on my desk where I can read from it often."

~Joshua Sandefur

"This collection of intimate poetry explores the ups and downs of friendship in a way that made me think back through my own life, my own friendships, to see and feel the value and lessons in each one. Ophelia does a wonderful job of painting pictures with her words, bringing to life the emotions she is feeling, and walking the reader through them with her. Her foundation in her faith makes her poems even more endearing and life-like. She clearly and effectively illustrates how our friendships on earth reflect the friend we have in Jesus, and how our broken selves and broken friends complicate our relationships. Her words are moving and lovely, and able to make this non-poetry reader interested in the power of verse."

~Kim P. 

For further reviews, please click here.

You can find my books on Goodreads and  Amazon .

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you for visiting my blog and checking out my books!

This giveaway closes on May 19th at midnight - winners will be announced shortly thereafter.

~Ophelia - Marie Flowers

Holy Distractions - A Guest Post

A guest post on the topic of struggling with thoughts of suicide, and the short film, "The Balcony" , that has a suicide prevention message.

Holy Distractions

~Aubrey Hansen~

As a married twenty-something looking back on my teen years, I will always remember growing up as feeling like the walls were caving in.

As a child, our fragile young minds are protected by walls of innocence.  There are things that we know exist in the world, but they do not affect us.  We may be able to see them through the windows, but they cannot touch us through the walls, and therefore, they are not a part of our world.

But as we grow up, slowly but surely the things on the outside of the walls seep into our lives.  First we hear about them affecting coworkers and friends of friends, and then they start affecting our close friends and family.  And suddenly we find that we cannot keep these things on the other side of the walls anymore; they are entangled in our lives, shaping the way we think.  It feels like the walls are crumbling around us, until one day these things touch us personally.  And then the walls fall down.

What lurks outside the walls varies from person to person.  For me, one of the scariest things outside the walls, and the one that finally ended my childhood, was suicide.

I knew suicide existed.  I knew why it happened, and had heard a few trite explanations of depression, but it wasn’t something I had ever dealt with personally.  I knew it was there, but it was outside the walls.

So when I wrote the first draft of my short film “The Balcony,” I wasn’t thinking about the importance of suicide prevention.  It was a story about a girl who planned to jump off the balcony in a concert hall and was interrupted by a lonely violinist coming in to practice, but the suicide was just an effective storyline for me.  My focus was on the music, as the flutist decides to accompany the violinist’s practice from the shadows, and the two begin to converse through the interplay of their instruments.  I was driven by the artistry of it all, and suicide was simply the most effective character motivation I could use to convey the emotion.  And so I labeled it as a sweet story I could probably one day sell, stashed the draft in the back of my files, and forgot about it.

And then the walls around my childhood started to crumble.

First I learned about a casual acquaintance struggling with depression, before mysteriously vanishing off the internet, leaving behind rumors that she had committed suicide.  Then my closer friends started to come forward and open up about their depression.  I watched as their struggles got deeper, and I felt like my ability to help was slipping out of my fingers.  The foundations of my childhood were shaking, and I grappled to keep my little world from toppling.  But when I turned around to look at my own life, I realized that the thing that had once lurked outside the walls had moved in.  I was depressed, and it was getting worse.

I lived in denial while things got progressively darker through 2013.  In the spring of 2014, the man who would later become my husband found me and encouraged me to come to terms with the things that were taking down my walls.  But as is often the case with depression, when you first try to throw off the chains that bind you, they tighten.  I kept holding on to the few things that made me forget the pain briefly, always believing that if I just fixed enough of my problems I could go back to that simpler time where my innocence gave me peace.

But no amount of dreaming could keep my childhood alive.  In May of 2014, alone on the highway and suffering from my worst depression and the screams of demons, I almost drove my car into a concrete median to end it.

But I didn’t.  Why?  Because a friend texted me.

Even though I don’t text and drive, I had my phone sitting out on the passenger seat where I could see it.  And that simple text notification was a distraction.  It was enough of a distraction for rational thought to break past the noise in my brain, enough distraction to make me realize I should call the friend who texted me and let her talk me through the rest of the drive, enough distraction to give me the opportunity to make the conscious choice that saved my life and started me on the path of healing.

And now, almost a year later, when my producer dragged “The Balcony” out of the archives and put it on my desk again, I can look back and realize there’s a second story to the film that I didn’t even know my heart was trying to write.

In the story, the flutist is distracted when the violinist turns the lights on over the stage and comes out to practice.  This distraction gives her enough pause to notice him and listen to his music instead of the noise in her head.  The distraction allowed the violinist to enter her world, and she made the conscious choice to reach inside of her and respond.  Just one moment of chance timing made for a distraction that opened the gateway to healing and encouragement for both of them.

I am not saying that we should constantly pester our depressed friends and family with text messages to make sure they are all right.  Not all distractions will change a life; many encounters are simply just that, brief distractions that quickly fade and do nothing to help us conquer the battle.  But I am saying that every positive connection we make with people opens up a door for God to work.  Every time we touch another person, we are opening a channel of communication with them.  And if you respond to all the connections you make with honesty and love, you never know when you may have been the open door that let a life-changing thought in.

I want to thank Ophelia for letting me talk on her blog and share about my short film “The Balcony.”  As I mentioned, my old producer Jordan Smith from Phantom Moose Films drug this script out of the closet and decided to produce it this spring.  This is monumental for me, not only to see one of my films make it into production far sooner than I ever could have hoped, but also because I can now use this film as a way to share my experiences with depression and suicide prevention with others.

Of course, producing a film is easier said than done, especially since the intimate nature of the music involves an original violin-flute duet that must be tailored to the movie, as well as two talented musicians to act it out.  For that reason, we’re running a Kickstarter through the end of March to raise the necessary funds for the music and high-quality cameras.  I’d be delighted if y’all could check it out.  Even if you can’t donate, please share the link--you never know when your Facebook post or Tweet might put the film in front of the right person.

After all, even the simplest connections between people can change the world.

~Aubrey Hansen

Fitting In - A Ramble...

       

    This is one of my 'not totally thought out' type of posts. ;) But all these thoughts are bopping in my head, so here I go.

     Do you ever get the feeling that you're meant to fit in, but you're not totally sure where? Do you know what it feels like when you go away from somewhere, and when you come back enough has changed that you're not sure where you belong exactly? ... Even if that feeling is kinda absurd overkill? And... you know it?

    I went to Grace Adventures Camp this weekend to volunteer in the kitchen and hang out with people. I've worked at Grace Adventures in the past (Summers 2011 and 2012, four months each time) and it was an important blessing in my life as I was growing up. When telling about life changing events in my life, Camp inevitably comes up. There I learned a lot of confidence, job experience, and how to be a better leader. I've been away for over a year, but not much time can ever pass without me thinking fondly of Camp.

      Going back was an odd feeling - I know several people on staff, but there were many more unknown people than there were known ones. Some things were the same as they'd always been, and still other things had changed - several of the people I knew, teased and saw every day have moved to other states and are no longer around... I know how to serve and help out, and yet I had to watch again to try and be in sync with the new kitchen team.

      Over this weekend I was again reminded of a few attitudes that I have to strive against. One in particular... the "I don't fit in, and I don't know how to try" attitude. I did "fit in" and yet I had to fight the voice inside that kept telling me I didn't. 'Not any more.'

         I'm a person who longs to know my place. (Who doesn't?) Seriously, there's a part of me that says I'm not wanted when I enter a new group... when I'm not sure where I connect. I don't want to feel like I'm invading. And that's truly at times what I feel I am - an outside invader, trying to fit where I used to, but no longer have the right connections. I'm on the outside of the inside jokes - I'm the tagger-along in an all ready close group - I'm the random extra person. It's looking in, and knowing where I should fit -where I want to fit - , and exactly what I wish to accomplish, and fighting that little voice in my head that says... This is unfamiliar. You're not certain what you're doing. These people don't want you around. You should stop breaking into the conversation and be quiet and let them be with their friends. You shouldn't invite yourself to go along. You should stick with the people you know, and if they're not around, then go wait and don't bother anyone else.

      Annoying little voice. I don't know why I never seem to shake it.

      Oh, you probably wouldn't know it looking at me, that it's dancing in my head. You wouldn't know that I feel kinda awkward asking to come hang out with you, when we just met. You wouldn't probably have guessed that there was a time in the last few days when I felt I was talking to much and told myself I wouldn't speak up again until I was addressed (ha, that took like, maybe a minute before I was being asked questions again and chattered to.) . You wouldn't know, that  several times right before I get lost in the freedom of teasing and goofiness and sarcasm, I'm wondering if I'm being a pest. Why don't you know?

    Because I've learned to disregard it, usually. I've learned to try and outright go against it. I've learned to step out of my comfort zone. I've learned that my feelings are often not rational reflections of reality. I've learned that if I want to be with people, I should let it be known, not expect others to read my mind. I've learned to seize the moment and take joy at being with other believers.

    Life is much too short to wait around for opportunities to come to me. I can either wait on the sidelines, or I can jump in feet first. I can either be quiet until I'm comfortable, or I can let me be myself. Yeah, sometimes it's hard. Sometimes I feel awkward.  But it's usually so worth it.

      This weekend was worth it.

      I spent so much time laughing and teasing. I went to the sand dunes and watched the fire works while listening to silly commentary of the other staff. I went along to the drive thru of McDonalds so I could talk to staff on the drive there, and then went on a "Kitchen Raid" back at camp at about midnight when the line for the McDonalds was too long. I went to Country Dairy and had ice cream, got licked by a cow, and got to spend time with some great people. I went to a camp fire out in the woods, sang songs, shared  a poem and discussed poetry/writing, talked about books, and got startled when someone jumped out of the dark woods while we were walking back with flashlights. I hung out in the staff lounge, joined conversations, exchanged writing with someone, and left a copy of a poem I wrote on the table for others to read.

     I know this weekend was good by especially how much it stung my heart to leave. Given time, I think I would've wanted to keep several of those people as new friends, (I'm not sure how well I'll be able to keep up with them now.) and while time was short, it was a joyful and enjoyable time. I had fun, made connections with people, and walked away feeling blessed.

     So to anyone who ever feels like me... Take a chance, strive to make connections and have fun, and... don't be afraid to be silly. ;) You may very well find that you had a much more encouraging time than you anticipated if you simply try.

    And to everyone on staff who hung out with me, thank you. Y'all were very welcoming, and I loved getting to know you, and appreciated that you took the time to ask questions and get to know me a bit better. I pray God blesses the rest of your time of ministry.

~Ophelia - Marie

The Magic Of Friends (#3) Internet Friends...

I've done a post like this before:  The Magic Of Friends (#2) - This is one about internet friendship.

*Grins* And, ha, as I'm working on this, I'm talking to a few of my friends. ^_^

This is for my internet friends - some  of you I've known since 2011, a few of you I've met face to face, and so many of you have touched my life and changed it for the better.

Thank you for...Spending hours chatting with me on Skype. Coming around especially on holidays and birthdays to celebrate with me.  Encouraging my dreams. Working through things when we've had misunderstandings. Trusting me. Sending me letters and packages. Critiquing my writing.  Making me laugh. Understanding when I cry. Praying for me through ups and downs. Reminding me of Truth. 

Thank you for... being there for me.

Like all friendships, some of our friendships have changed over time... but I want to thank every one of you for the part you've played in my life.

I'll never forget you.

A lot of goofy stuff, that's what. ;)

I'm grateful for the friends who've... pushed past the words, "I'm okay." to find the truth.

And at 2AM... well, let's just say that the word "hyper" doesn't come close to covering it.

;) But sometimes being up with friends is more fun/important.

Really badly some days...

Link

Still, internet hugs are appreciated.

Ooooh, yes...

Link

Link

See... it's kinda like this sometimes.

This has a lot of truth to it:

Link

I don't really have a problem with the term, "Internet friends", but still, I love this quote... I've had enough times explaining this to really understand the hardness of telling others that just because I haven't met some of my friends face to face,  doesn't mean I don't still love them heart to heart. 

            “I dislike the phrase “Internet friends,” because it implies that people you know online aren’t really your friends, that somehow the friendship is less real or meaningful to you because it happens through Skype or text messages. The measure of a friendship is not its physicality but its significance. Good friendships, online or off, urge us toward empathy; they give us comfort and also pull us out of the prisons of our selves.”

― John Green

 I thank God often for the blessings He brought through these friendships that I never would've dreamed would become so important to me.

*Smiles*

~Ophelia - Marie