Chocolate Castles as wel

You are probably wondering what a Fruitcake Friendship might be! Last night before I fell asleep I kept thinking how fortunate people are who have those friendships that, like the “fruitcake that goes back and forth between families every year” seem to keep on keeping on!

This past week I received an envelope that had 3 cards enclosed! The first card was sent several years ago from a dear friend who has been nothing but a blessing to me through the years! She has loved me, encouraged me, accepted me even though she knew “the real me” and has been the one who has continually told me to “put your big girl panties on and deal with it”, when necessary! Isn’t it so weird how we can hear peoples voices when we hear certain phrases spoken? Years ago when we had moved to California and we were trying to find a Sunday school class at the church we were visiting, I got discouraged after trying several classes only to find myself running to the bathroom one Sunday with tears in my eyes thinking that we would never find a good one. As I dried my face off I kept hearing her voice telling me just that …”put your big girl panties on and get back in there”. Well guess what.. I did and that was the class that became our greatest gift to us both while living there! That class gave us friends that are still like family to us and continue to bless our lives even now, no matter the distance between us! And another voice I always hear is Debbie Stuart’s voice when I hear “for I am Your handmaiden, let it be as You desire.” Or Dr Criswell voice when “the grass withers, the flowers fade but the Word of God will never pass away!” ,

Ok back to my story. When I had first received that first card a few years back, there was a sweet note she had written to me that was needed at the time as a source of encouragement! It was then that I decided to just add a note to her and mail the same card back telling her how much her words meant to me! Well that began a Fruitcake Friendship! Both of us seemed to know just when the card needed to appear in the others mailbox and on it went. When we would run out of room on a card, a new one would be added and included along with the original card! This past week the envelope appeared and I was just so blessed to read precious words from her that put a smile in my heart! I began to think about this and what it has meant to both of us through the years of knowing that some days we all need just a little lift in our spirits! Yes, texts are nice and so are phone calls, but going to the mailbox and opening up an envelope and reading words that somehow tend to be just what we are needing that day, are better than any fruitcake!

We all have different types of friends throughout our lives. Some are just there for a season, some are there to teach us and guide us during a difficult time! Some that keep us on our toes because they expect accountability, others seem to be gifted as giving us joy and encouragement! But other friends are like the Christmas fruitcake! They are filled with (spiritual)fruit for teaching us how to grow in our faith, making us learn how to laugh at ourselves, allowing us to vent when needed or just going back and forth with a desire to give back to each other what was given to us from the other, no matter the season! How sweet it is to go back and read all the encouraging notes in each card! Friendships are a blessing from God….much better than any fruitcake, no matter what recipe is used!

Proverbs 18:24 “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”