I left the house this morning without my laptop, so the post I had queued up to publish today is sitting miles away in my living room. I am at an archery range with my man and his friends, typing on my phone. As I sit here and watch them hit their targets (mostly), I’m struck with how important it is to have friends. The relationships we build with others are often sanity-sustaining bonds that see us through the highs and lows of life.

I have a friend across the country who is doing her damnedest to kick cancer’s ass. As she’s worked her way through it, her friends from coast to coast have been rallying around her with calls, texts, and visits. A contingent of friends from this coast recently went to support her, and the pure joy and healing that their visit brought was not only good for her, it was good for them too. Healing energy begets healing all the way around.

One of the gals here with us this morning has a sick cat at home. As anyone who’s ever had a pet knows, it’s incredibly hard to know what decisions to make when they’re ill and the vet bills start piling up. As she shared the latest kitty news, she understandably got pretty emotional and tears were shed. I hugged her hard, and then I watched the two guys – her friends – cheer her up with goofy banter and singing and fist bumps. Friendship in action right in front of my face.

Friends show up for each other. They bring hugs and love (and sometimes pie, which my personal favorite). They remind us we’re not alone, and they build us up when we’re down. They make us laugh and dry our tears.

I’ve always likened my friends to angels on Earth, and they’ve proven that description more times than I can count. Joining my love today with his has been a great reminder of that.