Sine qua non: True Friends

 

sine qua non - noun - essential condition; a thing that is absolutely necessary (Google)

December is a month of birthdays for me, one after the other. Mine is tomorrow, just about right in the center. Because so many remember when they could easily forget me as the holidays force everyone to juggle a number of balls at once, I feel particularly blessed. What I am always and forever reminded of at this annual junction is that friendship, true friendship, is a sine qua non in life. The unconditional love that friends express toward each other is absolutely imperative to survival on the planet. If every material appliance were taken away from us, we would have to rely on each other exclusively. Relations might walk away for whatever reason, but friends, the authentic ones, tend to stick around. At least this has been true in my experience. 

A dear boon companion and former colleague of mine is a testament to the essential quality of friendship. (She could probably be one of the first to read this. I hope she is.) This morning I opened the front door to falling moisture, and spied a small, baby-blue-and-white-checkered box nestled up against the threshold as if trying to stay dry. I picked it up, thinking that it must contain a surprise birthday gift from my L.A. admirer. Taking it into the kitchen, I placed the package on the granite counter. Since I couldn't find a trace of the sender's name, my daughter took it and removed the label, promptly revealing the information I was searching for. The contents, an assortment of cookies, came from my friend. Naturally, I did what most would do immediately: I texted a thanks and proposed that we should have lunch. Within minutes, she returned a text reading that another friend of hers had lost her husband at a moment's notice and yet another had just had a limb amputated. To both, she promised sympathy and support, accompanied by maybe tea or a Coke. Of course, I understood the sine qua non of this, and told her we would get together in January. 

If we are very lucky, all of us have at least one companion who will go the distance for us, no matter what. Fortunately, I am blessed with more than one, who, like the aforementioned, would be there for me through the thick and thin: the storms, the fires, the blizzards...well, you get the picture. I know this for a fact because they have proven themselves to be true friends,"rainy day people" (G. Lightfoot) who are dauntless and indefatigable and knowledgeable when it comes to giving and receiving love. 

I thank all of you who lighten the burdens of life for others. You are indeed angels. 

OXOXOXO

#word of the day, #vocabulary, #writers, #writers and poets, #words, #inspiration, #optimism, #inspiring words, #humor, #spilled thoughts, #motivation, #inspirational thoughts, #inspiration, #inspirational words, #words of wisdom, #affirmation, #optimism, #poets and writers, #writers community, #writers, #readers #writing