"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you." Elbert Hubbard

I'm currently reading a FREE e-book from Amazon called Kicking Eternity by Ann Lee Miller. One of the lines briefly caught me by surprise and I had to think about it a minute. It goes something like this:

"You need to have three friends, one who is more mature, one who's an equal, and one to mentor."

At first I thought, yeah that's cool. Then it bothered me so I asked Nahdia, "Do you have a friend who is more mature than you?" She was caught off guard, I mean, this is deep conversation to do over laundry. She kind of mumbled a response. I followed up with, "Do you have one who's an equal?" She said, "You." [I'm flattered! She is one of my most favorite people in this world and ever after] "Do you have one you mentor?" She didn't get to answer this one because I started laughing. She asked what brought on all the questions and I mentioned I read it in a book. I went on to explain my general feeling that a well rounded friendship wouldn't be stuck in neat little categories.

Exhibit "A":  There are times when Nahdia's wisdom reaches light-years farther than mine. In other instances we are equally matched. And then there are moments when I get to be the mentor.

Not convinced? Let's try another friendship.

Exhibit "B":  Rina is a friend from the last year and half. We've become very close in a short time, partly because we are very similar:  equals. In other aspects, Rina's maturity, kindness, homemaking abilities, desire to serve, etc. eclipse mine in a very marked way. Then there are sprinkled moments when I am able to step into the mentoring role.

Okay, here's one more. I feel like I'm writing a legal description.

Exhibit "C":  I've been friends with July for, phew, about nine years. We are so similar in temperament and cognition that it's difficult to even believe we don't spend much time in each others' company. We get together, spill our guts, receive counsel and leave feeling someone outside of the family or work, outside of the immediate situation understands how the other is feeling--all three "types of friends", on both sides, in one sitting. It's wonderful!

A well balanced friendship has to be pliable. A good friend is humble enough to receive and give counsel. A good friend is comfortable keeping you company and being on your level. The friendship evolves and roles change.

It's a new theory and I have to work out the kinks but it works for me.

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In a totally unrelated matter, I wrote out assignment cards for my primary kids to do opening exercise next Sunday. I realized I may have misspelled a word and it's bugging me. Heterophones! English is the hardest language to learn, apparently.

I think I wrote:

______________ is sharing a testimony next Sunday blah, blah, blah.

I may have written:

______________ is bearing a testimony next Sunday blah, blah, blah.

If so, I should have written:

______________ is baring a testimony next Sunday blah, blah, blah.

Heterophones: two or more words that sound the same, but are spelled differently.

Serves me right after laughing over the use of 'minus', 'mind as' and 'mine as' in place of might as. As in I might as well go to sleep since it's getting late.

Confessions and friends.