Here’s to the Friends who sit beside us!

There are friends…and then there are the friends who sit beside us!

The ones who come without needing an invitation. Who hear “I’m fine” and still show up on our doorstep anyway. The ones who don’t flinch at the mess-physical, emotional, or otherwise and plop themselves right down in the middle of it.

They’re not there to fix it. Not to preach. Not to sugarcoat it with sunshine and rainbows. They’re just there-steady, present, holding space when we’re too tired to hold it ourselves.

These are the ones who cheer us on when no one else sees the battle. Who celebrate the wins that feel small to others-like getting out of bed or making it through the day without falling apart.

They know when it’s time to be gentle and when it’s time to lovingly challenge us. They help us make the hard choices, take the scary steps, and reclaim our voice when we’ve forgotten how to use it.

They stand up for me. They throw down for us. They carry our hearts-and our dreams-like scared things. And they love our children as if they were their own.

Here’s to those friends. The ones who show up. And sit beside us through it all.

-The Gathered Life🧡🧡