The Definition of Friendship
Welcome back to another post on That Time Juls. Last post I
talked about the decision of friendship and how we want our friendship to be
defined. I’m so excited this week because I get to write about my definition of
friendship. I hope by the end of this post my excitement is leaping off the
pages and into your hearts, filling you with hope and joy of what friendship
can look like in your life.
Have you met someone and thought I could be friends this
them forever? When I was in seventh grade my mother and I moved back to the
city (well closer to the city than where we previously lived) of New Orleans. I
was one of 2 seventh graders in the marching band at this new school. Danielle
Warsley- Williams, my very best friend whom I call Dannie Boo or Dannie was the
other 7th grader. Dannie and I met in band, but our friendship
blossomed when we quit the band for cheerleading.
A little-known fact about me is that I am an introvert. As I
reflect on my friendship with Danielle, I am so thankful because it was our
friendship that taught me social skills and ques. The beauty of our friendship
was and is the freedom and space to be authentically who God created us to be.
When we were kids, Dannie was creative and artistically expressive. She would
make scrap books with pictures of us going on all these fun adventures. She
would come up with ideas to make her school uniform a little more unique and
before we knew it, we were asking her mom to make us one too. My friendship
with Dannie is one of genuine beauty and growth. When we went from middle
school to high school, I just knew we would be friends forever.
When we left for college navigating friendships with our
friends from high school and home looked a lot different. For a while Danielle
and I didn’t talk much. In this space of growing in our personal lives, careers,
and purpose God was doing a work in each of us. We talked here and there during
college and every time was like a refreshing water on a long, hot summers day.
Shortly after Katrina (the hurricane who was like Voldemort we don’t speak of).
We both had babies. I was pregnant with my second child and I drove to
Alexandria, LA to visit my Dannie Boo and her baby girl. The beauty of the
definition of our friendship has seen love, forgiveness, and the test of time.
There were moments when I didn’t show up and I should have. In those spaces of
time I appreciated Danielle’s heart to forgive and love past those moments. I
am so thankful for her beautifully amazing spirit and I am even prouder of the
phenomenal woman Dannie is and is becoming.
Danielle is an extraordinary wife, mommy, artist, and
entrepreneur. My friend, Dannie Boo is a business owner with her awesome
husband. They own an amazing coffee shop call Legal Grounds Espresso in
Alexandria, LA. If you are in the area, please check them out, not just for the
coffee but also for Dannie’s artwork. Yes, you read it correctly, Danielle is a
talented incredible freelance artist. Listen when I say she is an artist; I’m
not talking about someone who decided to just start painting as a hobby one day.
Dannie is an educated, went to college, got the degree, type of artist. I took
art in college and lets just agree it’s not my ministry.
I asked Dannie what lesson friendship taught her and I love
her response. “One major thing I’ve learned about friendship, is once you find
a friend worth having; do everything you can to nurture that relationship.
Cherish them because good friends don’t come often. One of my biggest regrets
is not keeping in touch with my two high school besties. These were the people
who knew me best and loved me wholly.” I love Dannie’s sweet spirit and the
kindness she sees in those around her. Last post I mentioned via my college
roommate that friendships should evolve and grow. When it does there is a
better chance of a lasting friendship.
I am so grateful that God has kept my friendship with Dannie
Boo intact. When I didn’t pour into or nurture our friendship God did. God has
always renewed our friendship in every stage of our life. When we would lose
touch there was always something God would do to bring us back in touch with
each other. My friendship with Dannie was the first friendship I made outside
of my mom’s friend group (you know your parent’s friends that all have children
around the same age). It was also the first friendship that lasted longer than
the grade I was in (we did move a lot). I knew when we became friends this was
going to be a different kind of friendship. This was a God ordained friendship.
When Dannie and I lost touch after having children someone from our school
asked us to plan an event that caused us to get back in touch with each other.
When we lost touch again, I was visiting New Orleans and She was too. I don’t
remember how we ended up knowing we were both in the city at the same time but
that was the last time we saw each other. Most recently, I moved across the
country only to live in the same city as one Dannie’s brothers. Now, tell me
that’s not God! LOL, I’ll wait!
I started this post about how I define friendship.
Friendship for me is love that supersedes time and space. It’s also about to loving
that friend where they are in life at that moment. Understanding that life
happens to all of us and love and support are more important than judgment and
ridicule. Friendship is a safe space. I want to be the friend that will listen
and love and that is the type of friends I not only desire but have. Dannie is
that friend and though she may not feel that way she is! There has not been a
time when she didn’t offer a listening ear, a loving heart, and a safe space for
me to be me. Thank you, Dannie Boo, for being my first friend, my forever
friend, and my definition of a friend. I love you.
With Love,
-Juls
Where to
find Danielle:
Facebook:
Danielle Warsley-Williams
Facebook:
Legal Grounds Espresso Bar
Instagram:
@deewarwill, @legalgroundsespresso
Art: at
coffee shop and contact via social media
Legal
Grounds Espresso Bar
720 Murray
St.
Alexandria,
LA 71301
Love this!! So relatableđź’•
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