The best friends are the ones who know little things mean a lot

Some days it really overwhelms me when I consider how blessed I am to have so many wonderful people in my life.  I've never been what you'd call a social creature.  Let's just say that I have a lot in common with hermits and cats.  But all that changed when I discovered miniatures a few years ago.  Much to my surprise, not only did I discover a fabulous new way of life, but I discovered that I was making friends too!

That sort of shook me up for awhile since I'd never been good at making new friends, but there they were!  A whole bunch of new people who liked me and I liked them right back.   Unless you had watched my life story (fortunately not a Lifetime movie of the week), you'd never fully appreciate just how incredible this is, but from my perspective it's nothing less than a miracle.

I truly love these people too.  Even tho most of us have never met face to face the bond is genuine.  They are caring and loving people with strong hearts and sweet spirits.  They're *good* people.  I would go to the mat for any of them and I know that they've got my back too.  Most importantly tho, I know that they love me.  Truly and completely and without condition............I can relax in their friendship because it's honest and I have no fear that any of them would hurt me.  

This is something that I think about a lot but this week I received some special gifts of love that really touched my heart and made me realize even more just how wonderful my friends are.

Last week one of my friends sent me the cutest little washtub she'd made, filled with rocks and cattails and frogs.  I LOVE frogs!  When I told my friend that I collected frogs (something she didn't know about me) she turned around and made the sweetest little frog carrier you ever did see.  Sarah Ann immediately laid claim to it because, well, she likes to take her frogs out and about with her.  She's frog-sitting the washtub until I build my seaside Tennyson.

I was so delighted with my new little frogs that I happy danced around the house every time I thought of them.  But what made me the happiest of all was knowing that I have a friend who wanted to make me smile with gifts of frogs.  Yep, those little things do mean a lot and every time I look at them, I'll think of my friend and how wonderful it is to be loved.

I received another special gift in the mail this week.  Y'all know how traumatized I was when I had to cut my hair, right?  Well, one of my friends had an idea of how she could ease my heart a little bit.  She told me to send her a lock of my hair so she could create a special mini keepsake for me.  Would you like to see it?

The mane, forelock and tail of this sweet rocking horse are made of my hair.  I can't tell you how touched I was when I saw it.  I sat here with my heart overflowing because of the love that went into this special mini, designed to ease my sorrow.  It has a place of honor in my Pierce where I can see it from the loveseat where I lay when I can't be up and around.  When I feel especially bad, I'll have something to remind me how sweet it is to have such loving friends.  

My greatest mini treasures are the ones that have been made for me by my friends and I have so many that I could decorate an entire house with them alone.  And I also send gifts to my friends whenever I think of someone who is sad or I create/find a special mini that would be "just right" for someone.  If you're reading this, you're probably nodding your head in agreement.  Somewhere in your house is a closet that holds small boxes that you save because they're the right size to ship minis to your friends and most of them are boxes that have brought minis to you.   

We all know that feeling of loving and being loved that comes from giving or receiving these special miniatures.  And above all else, we know that it's not the physical gift that counts.  Most of us have more minis than we know what to do with................what we know to be *most* important is the reason we exchange gifts the way we do.  We do it because we love each other.   It's true.  The little things mean a lot, especially when they are symbols of 100% unconditional love for a friend.

I'm going to declare today "Love Your Mini Friend Day".  I want everyone who reads this to call or email at least one of your mini friends today and tell them that you love them.