A Lifetime Friend

The journey to India begins in less than two days.  I could have never made it this far in the journey called life without some very important people.  Just as the popular poem below states, some people come into your life for a reason, others for a season, and some for a lifetime.  I have numerous people in my life who fit into the first two categories; I could fill pages upon pages with their names and their personal influences upon me.  Each one is invaluable and special to me.

The most influential person in my life and who has been with me for what seems like a lifetime, is my friend Doris.  We met and became friends in 1982 in Alabama for a short time before she moved back to her home state of Louisiana.  Somehow, we managed to maintain a long-distance friendship over the years.  Her unconditional love was a balm of healing to my wounded soul.  Her words of encouragement kept my spiritual dreams alive even when circumstances seemed to suggest otherwise.  Her prayers changed my spiritual destiny.  When I think of my friend Doris, I think of the scripture in John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  She literally laid down her life for me by spending days in travailing prayer on my behalf.  I am who I am today in God because of her powerful prayers.  This journey would not have been possible without Doris.  My desire is to become a lifetime friend to someone else in this journey called life and to influence someone else's spiritual destiny the way Doris has shaped mine.

The journey's gonna be a good one!!!

Reason, Season, or Lifetime
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
— Unknown