Diary #353

One of the most wonderful things in the world to me is when I introduce people I love to one another and they become friends as well.  In a world full of chaos and conflict, there’s something deeply gratifying about facilitating connections that increase the amount of love in my personal ecosystem.  As I’ve mentioned before, it deeply distresses me when people I love argue with one another; the other side of that coin is that I feel validated and emotionally fed when people I love have a positive effect on each other’s lives.  Grace has now met all of my Seattle friends (during several visits and at the last Desiree conference) and they all liked and welcomed her; then last month I had the joy of organizing a small get-together in which two of the women I love most in the world (who already knew each other but weren’t really close) had a chance to bond and become much closer.  Then last week, another very dear friend visited me from out of town, and I had a very small party to introduce her to my inner circle…and once again, they all bonded and will, I think, become good friends.  That’s a winning situation for everybody involved; each of them gains a new friend, and the coven in which I feel safe and loved grows a little larger.  It’s no secret that I’ve had an unusually difficult life, and many have remarked on how hard and cynical it has made me.  But when I’m with people I love and trust I can lay down my figurative sword and doff my emotional armor (and often my literal clothes) for a while, and let the din of battle fade into the distant background, and I don’t think even my umpteen-greats grand-mère Aella will begrudge me that brief respite.