In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. ~Albert Schweitzer
How do you handle the Ups and Downs of your life? First and foremost, I turn to God, but today’s post is for friends who have stuck by my side through the ups and downs. I’m feeling a little emotional this week and it seems like the perfect time to write this.
So many days there’s been email after email from me about an UP or a DOWN. A phone call where I need to hear the voice of someone close, and know their shoulder is there. Through it all, my friends keep on responding with something positive or inspirational, 
whether it’s a poem, a Bible scripture, a smiley face, or a shoulder. When life drops me down, they pick me up. When something makes me happy, they smile with me. I don’t know where I’d be without them.
One friend in particular, has been my friend longer than any person I’ve ever known outside of family. This is my ‘make me laugh’ friend, my friend whom I can talk about being 
sixteen with, because we were together at sixteen. Another friend, my best friend, has put up with me since I was eighteen years old. She prays 
for me, worries for me, allows me to cry,
guides me, and loves me. If ever friends could be soul mates, she is my soul mate friend. Another close friend also makes me laugh, lends a shoulder, tells me jokes, makes me realize I can be whomever I choose to be, and tries to convince me I’m beautiful just as I am. Other friends in my life have been here for various amounts of time, but nevertheless, the greatest friends a person can have, and for this, I thank them.
I’m gained a lot of new friends along the way, and lost others. Some have moved on and some ne
ver will. Saying good-bye to friends seems to be a pattern I soon hope to put an end to. And I know, no matter what, either distant or near, most of these friends will still be with me. I appreciate my friends; my bright flames who light the way for me when I need it, or shine even brighter when we share joy!
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts,and we are never, ever the same. ~Flavia Weedn, Forever, © Flavia.com
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel 
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