I Picked From the Tree of #Friendship

I wanted to title this post, I Picked From the Tree of Life, but right now my tree is all about Friendship. My true blue friend, Dawn, called me today and I told her that I was feeling down about a loyalty issue with someone I considered a good friend. She gave me the inspiration for this blog post. Life and Friendships.

But, boy oh boy did that loyalty concern make me sorrowful. I was very hurt and I knew in my heart I had to find a way to let go. Let go of my feelings and my disappointment.  I realized that if I felt down or alone, that I could always pick up the phone for goodness sakes!

So, what did I do this weekend to dispel the melancholy? Well, I picked apricots with other true blue friends! I mentioned that I had a secret apricot tree that was the mother lode of fruit, and two friends expressed an interest in picking. A quick check on a weather app clearly showed me that Saturday was the perfect Idaho summer day to embark on a journey to South Boise, with ladders and buckets. Invitations were sent via email and text messaging, and the time was set.

I have to admit that getting out and doing something was a zillion times better than moping! While we picked, we all shared a conversation that was unexpected for all of us. We talked about families, about friends, about what we had done in the past few weeks. We revealed how we felt about the events that shaped the past few weeks. We divulged feelings about something we had in common, our faith in God and our Buddhist practice. I learned a thing or two about these three friends that made my heart sing.

We picked from a tree that brought our friendship together and closer. What a special gift we gave to each other….

I came home feeling glorious. Oh, and about 7 or 8 pounds of apricots to do something about! I chose to can all that I could for a future use. I have a sorbet in mind….

I found a fantastic website that had a post specific to canning apricots which was my guide. I filled five quart jars and five pint jars, using a medium simple syrup and a dash of lemon juice. My happy place has always been my kitchen, even in my twenties when I had no idea what I was doing. You are going to laugh out loud, but I taught myself the basics of canning from You Tube. Seriously!

So, now I have a cupboard full of canned apricots and memories that I will treasure. You don’t have to reach very far to find the right friends. You just have to pick from that friendship tree.

Life is good indeed.

#friendship #lifelesson #canning