Indescribable Gifts

I ran 13 miles Sunday for the first time in my life. I was so exhausted the last two miles, that I text one of my friends nearby to come pick me up and help me up the stairs. It was awful. I left home late, so most of my run was under the cover of night. And since the trail I run is cut through a wooded area, I saw snakes, beady eyes, and all forms of things that go bump, squeak and boo in the night. Not really safe for anyone running alone and at my level of exhaustion. Luckily, I had a small light with me to illuminate the area and alleviate some of my fears. Anything that moved received a harsh flash (even the other folks on the trail at that time).

Though, the path I took was a familiar one, I still couldn’t really grasp how far I was from home or any safe place. As I turned off the wooded path to head toward my friend’s house, I wondered how many people journeyed in the dark alone. How many people walked, ran, or aimlessly stumbled through dark places…and never came out. I see some of them every day…sleeping on the ground, park benches or near a vent.  I wondered why they are still held hostage by the shadows in the night. And here, I am awaiting a ride from someone who cared enough to leave their space to search for me in the night. How wonderful it is to know you have a friend you can call when you’re stuck in the dark and it’s no one’s fault but your own!

True friends are an indescribable gift. They don’t have to be bothered with you and your antics. There’s no price to pay or prize to win. No competition to prove yourself. They find you because they choose to. And I am blessed to have been found by the greatest treasures ever known. And every day is Christmas because of the indescribable level of love, care, protection, correction, encouragement, listening ear, advice, etc. these gifts have given me. So to my friends, near and far…THANK YOU. Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for walking alongside me. Thank you for being a light in a dark place for me.

“Never leave a friend behind. Friends are all we have to get us through this life–and they are the only things from this world that we could hope to see in the next.” ~Dean Koontz