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The Power of Friendship

The Power of Friendship

My life is blessed with a number of valuable treasures. I have a loving husband and son, a caring extended family, a home that is warm and inviting, and we live in a community founded on strong southern values. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also include amongst my greatest treasures my dear friends who share their journeys with me as we navigate  this thing called life.

  • Lori Peacock

  • February 25, 2023

There is a picture above the bed in our guest room that says, “Angels can’t be everywhere, that’s why God gave us Friends.”  Pictures of my friends and gifts I’ve received from them fill the room. I thank God everyday for my girlfriends and I know without a doubt that having these women in my life has shaped and defined the woman I am today. Experts share that the bond between women is directly related to our emotional, mental and physical wellness. Good friends equal good health! I believe this is true and it has been demonstrated throughout my life. My friends laughed with me, cried with me, listened to me, propped me up when I didn’t think I could stand, and loved me – sometimes in spite of myself – no matter how weird or crazy things are. For these women, I will be forever grateful.

Many say we are most influenced by the five people we spend the most time with. I think about the MANY friends I have had over the past 60+ years. Some of my friends were in my life for a short time, and others I have called “friends” for 45+ years.  Whether in my life for a short time or if they’re still hanging in there with me now, their presence has influenced me in too many ways to count, and probably in ways I can’t even identify yet. My friends help me to be brave, strong, insightful, and creative! 

Life can be glorious and sometimes life is just really super tough. Having friends to celebrate with and/or commiserate with is a blessing we cannot take for granted. Our friends truly are our “angels on earth” and knowingly or unknowingly ensure the world is a better place!  When I was a Girl Scout, we sang a song that goes something like, “Make new friends but keep the old, the new are silver and the old are GOLD.”  That song is as true now as it was when I was in the 7th grade!

While attending the VIA Conference, hopefully you will take time to grow personally and professionally with your old friends, and make some new friends to stand beside you and with you on your own personal journey.

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