A Gift for My Friend
Sister friends Pauline (left) and Joanna (right). Photo courtesy of Pauline Mansfield.
To celebrate her “25th freedom anniversary”, my friend invited ten of her closest friends to thank them for their role along her journey. She had no idea of how her life was a blessing to the ten.
True friends share an invisible, innate connection. It is a force that influences growth, change, or action. Real sisterhood extends outward to nourish, uplift, protect and defend other sisters. I am reminded of the Sequoia tree. Its shallow roots intertwine with the roots of other redwoods hidden beneath the ground to share nutrients, support each other, and to hold each other up. It's as if they are saying, "We are in this together.”
Our friendship seedling began simply as two people passing each other on occasion. The roots of this extraordinary friendship became strong, steady, and beautiful over time, neither of us knowing that our roots were naturally entangling just beneath our feet. And like the mighty Sequoia, it has grown steadfast and resilient, through strong winds, rain, fire and storms.
After twenty-five years of unwavering friendship, neither of us seemed to be aware of our own extraordinary faith, power, and influence. Unbeknownst to us, God had predestined our paths to cross for a reason, just as He planted the remaining nine along the path to freedom. Each of our roots would ultimately intertwine to impart strength to one another.
This poem, "For My Friend," was sublimely written by one friend to the other, but it could be a universal sentiment between sister-friends. It exemplifies the agility, intrigue, and power that they each possessed, but never expressed. It demonstrates that gratitude is a mutual exchange. It is a gift that blessed the giver as much as it did the receiver.
“God has smiled on me; he has set me free. God has smiled on me, He’s been good to me.”
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash
FOR MY FRIEND*
When I met her, I thought she moved like she had wisdom in her shoes, a personal connection to Athena, and walked with God in the garden every morning before sunrise.
She found joy in simple things, turning a phrase, teacups, chocolate, sweet wine, and laughter. Her optimism filled the rooms she entered and turned the doom and gloom of a negative environment into positive potential.
Her smile was always genuine, and her heart was so open, compassion just spilled out.
She remembers birthdays, special occasions, finds time to select custom-written cards, or writes meaningful notes on fancy notepaper, or calls to check on friends even while time is ticking way too fast in her own life. So, she became my friend.
She wore her pain like the emperor's new clothes, invisible to most yet magical to others.
Undetected was the tumultuous bruising beneath the skin, the scars on her heart, or the debris under her neatly polished and jagged nails as she silently clawed her way to freedom.
Unnoticed was the agility, the intrigue, and the power of a black panther. Unforeseen was the resilience, endurance, and the large heart of a racehorse.
Unbeknownst to admirers and surprising to her oppressors was the fight of a phoenix rising in grace, rising in peace, rising slowly with calmness, longevity, and the quiet strength of a turtle.
She rises silently as a testament that real strength, true strength is internal.
It’s not loud or fiery, not boisterous or flamboyant, not crude or callous, but intentionally humble, unapologetically honest, valiantly fearless, and deliberately confident, carrying her tribe along with her and leaving a roadmap for all to see How a Real Black Queen Gets Free.
Straighten your crown, my sister – and as a testament to you, I’ll be straightening mine too!
“God has smiled on you; He has set you free. God has smiled on you. He's been good to you.”
* Written as a gift to my sister/friend for life, Pauline. It mirrors the journey of our very special friendship over the past twenty-five years.
