Being Loved

It appears that several people I know have taken it upon themselves to make sure that I feel loved and am well entertained while I'm on sabbatical. I have been out to dinner twice, have been given lessons, have been invited on a vacation, have been invited to go out to a bar to celebrate, have been invited to go to a play, was invited to travel to homes out of state for visits, was given a trip to a museum, and was offered the use of a bicycle. There are probably some other things I'm forgetting. It would be a shame to forget any of them. Every few days my phone rings with another offer. Oh... and a friend wants to come help me reorganize my house now that my older children are gone. And another gave me money to spend "just on yourself! No bills or kids!" How much love can one person stand? Wow! If my goal for my sabbatical is to feel loved, I'm done now! It actually is to learn to love myself as much as my friends love me, so that I can maybe feel God's love, if God exists. I am well on my way. And there are a few more of my friends with whom I want to spend time. I need to call and invite them to join me. It's mostly wonderful to have so many people want to spend time with me. Wow! I have never been in such high demand. I guess I've never had so much unstructured time. These friends are my family. They are carrying me through.
Next week, when it's my birthday and my twin and I are estranged, I will try to remember that my friends are the ones who have been most supportive. My friends are the ones who have loved me through it all, without criticism. Next week, on my birthday, friends are taking me to have a massage and then to lunch. They will be my family. Jesus always talked about not worrying about blood lines. It's hard to really live that since some friends come and go throughout out lives. I hope I can be a good enough friend to them that my current ones are part of my life for the rest of my life. They are wonderful!