With that said, where do we start to explore this vast arena called friendship?
January is behind us, New Year resolutions are well underway, so I feel the logical starting point would be to turn inward for a better look. For example, each "New Year" we examine the past year and like a grade school report card we grade every aspect of our lives, judging whether we have made the grade or fallen short in different areas. Each person has a different set of criteria on which they grade themselves, but one common thread connects us as women: quite often we expect a level of excellence from ourselves that we would never impose on anyone else. After giving this some thought it felt only natural that our friendship journey begin with some self-evaluation.
Eleanor Roosevelt said "Friendship with oneself is all-important because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world".
With that in mind I reslove this year to become better friends with myself.
I will; Treat myself better, speak kinder words to myself, and become better acquainted with who I am & the woman I want to be. After all Robert Louis Stevenson said "A friend is a gift you give yourself". The way I look at it, I am going to spend my entire life with myself. Do I really know who I am?
Now comes the question, "Where do I start"? My confession: some time ago (years ago, not months ago) I bought a book titled "Simple Abundance . . . A Daybook of Comfort and Joy" by Sarah Ban Breathnach. The back cover explains that it is a book of 366 evocative essays - one for every day of the year - written for women. The hope is that by heightening my awareness & simplifying my life, I will come to recognize the abundance in my daily life, take time to smell the roses as it were and live a simpler more authentic life. I am finally digging in, reading & taking it to heart. I must say that it's just a little something I am choosing to do for myself. It has taken a while to get to this point, who knows why, but I must admit I like it. I think I'm hooked!
Now for you! Give yourself a treat. What is that? It is certainly different for each of us. You will need to look inside and discover what your needs are. It may take some time to get in tune with yourself. Be kind & patient, it may have been a while since you had a good conversation with the girl in the mirror. Give it a try, I think you'll like her . . . .keep it up and you might even become great friends! As George Herbert said "Take the Gentle path".
Until next time I hope you find Comfort & Joy
friendship-basket-january-templates
NOTE: The newsletter will contain my personal thoughts about the topic of "Friendship". The quilt blocks and tutorial are my creations and so all questions regarding them should be directed to me broadbentsquiltshop@gmail.com (save the girls at the shop from any mistakes made on my part). This also means the project is for your individual, personal use and enjoyment. This is not to be used in any commercial, retail or wholesale format such as selling kits, printing patterns or teaching classes. The "Friendship Basket Club", all patterns, instructions & newsletters are the property of "A Couple of Chicks and Some Sheep" copyright 2010. Kind comments and constructive criticism is always appreciated, anything else . . . Count to 10 and breathe deep. This is supposed to be fun!
