The Connected Soul

Have you ever felt like you knew a soul you've never met? It's that feeling you get when you read something a total stranger wrote and you connect with it like you could have been the one saying or thinking that! I feel like that sometimes when I hear a song or read a book or article written by a familiar soul. The soul that takes your thoughts and puts it into eloquent words. The soul that writes and you connect with what was written.

That soul may be in a body you've never met. It may be a different color, race and ethnic origin from you but it is definitely a soul you know. I believe I am lucky because while I have come across familiar souls in music and literature that I have had no physical contact with, I am also experiencing the blessings of friendship with a few familiar souls. She is that friend who patiently waits and holds no malice when your spirit requires space and solitude. The one who focuses on your strength and points out a difference of opinion without judgement. The one you can agree to disagree with and still love one another.

That person who recognizes your humanness in its full implication and accepts your flaws and bad habits as the natural imperfections of a beautiful and original creation of a perfect Deity.

Oftentimes, you find little bits of that person in different people and are thankful for it but rarely do you find most of the familiarities of your soul in another imperfect human. I have been fortunate enough to experience the beauty of soul friendship with a few people.

I have that friend that loves me, does not judge me and does not expect the world of me. The friend that knows my secrets and my weaknesses yet chooses never to use them as weapons against me. The one that can confront me when I fall short of expected standards and speak hard truths and practice tough love. I also have that friend who understand the unspoken volumes of my silence and lifts me up in love and prayer even before I begin to visibly fall apart. The cheer leader who gently reminds me to stay the course and chase my dreams. The one who thinks the world of you and convinces you you can do that thing you are afraid to tackle.

I am thankful for the relationships I water and the ones that are watered by my soul friends because unknown to them, the love they feed my soul multiplies and feeds others less able to return the kindness because of the storms they have weathered on their own personal journeys. I am thankful for deep meaningful interactions and bouts of uncontrollable silly laughter.  I am grateful for time spent in uplifting and inspiring conversations that make a mockery of thousands of miles. Conversations that tear down walls and erase the physical constraints of being on different continents.  For me, these friendships and connections are miracles I will be forever grateful for because they keep me grounded.

If you have a friend that lifts you up and holds you together when you are about to fall apart, please invest time, energy and love in that relationship. the people in your corner really do matter.

Nurture your soul relationships and count your blessings!

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