friends

Jul 29, 2008 | Life in Progress

(a collection gifted to me by stephanie – a dear art friend)

my heart melted when these arrived in a sweet package last week. for most of my life my friends have been my largest treasure, a whole other family of intention that runs deep and wide – it’s always been this way. i know i am loved. that i have large spaces and cracks in my heart for all the holding. that i am always learning how to gracefully receive, to give. but sometimes i wonder who/where i am in the circle of my friends. am i remembered. yes. am i well thought of. yes. am i included. sometimes, not always. am i a pain in the ass. always (but in the best of ways). am i thought of as that crazy girl with the crazy family. maybe.

whenever i share my story (the guts of my life) with a friend (new or old), i find that the gift of being vulnerable gives a sort of permission to the friendship, a deepening. i’m often struck by how similar our stories can be. how my story is often theirs, too. it’s as if the universe brings us the very people we need in our lives to grow the exact community we deserve – to heal the small parts of ourselves that need healing, and to celebrate the quirks of ourselves that deserve laughter and sillyness – all in the company of women who get you.

i wonder how we find one another. how we attract one another. how difficult it can be, yet how easy and perfect it can be, too. there’s so much comfort in the ease, in the understanding glances. in the stories. in the similar ways of how we filter our life’s experience. in our shared resilience. in how we see.

it’s magic.

Sending much love,

Show/Hide Comments (15 comments)
15 Comments
  1. Anonymous

    We are truly blessed as the universe offers us a way to connect so many miles, ages,& dispositions apart, and YET, soul sisters. I know not your story, BUT; whatever it is has allowed you to open and share with us the beautiful woman you are, your talents, your soul, your very vulnerability, and YET, at the same time you encourage, cheer, and uplift us to find the best and the new and the wonder of lives and ourselves. Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Gypsy Alex

    Oh Kelly! It is pure enchantment indeed! And I am so grateful to be experiencing it with you and all the women entering my life right now. Big giant hug ~

    Reply
  3. Heather, paperfollies.typepad.com

    kelly,
    we met briefly at artfest and shared a class with susan wooldridge together…i was struck by how warm and inviting you are in your demeanor and smile and since reading your blog, your art and words continue to be an inspiration…xo heather
    p.s. can’t wait for my book…yipee, its almost here!

    Reply
  4. justagirl

    I know Kelly Rae, that we will never meet…

    but it was your painting I saw on the front page, on my first visit to the Etsy site a few short months ago.

    I clicked on it and well my life changed… it has opened a whole new world of people and opportunities that I wouldn’t have known existed otherwise.

    I have read all of your blog from the beginning… I think of you as a friend even though you hardly know I exist. It is a magical world we live in.

    Katherine

    Reply
  5. Katrina

    dear friend,

    your words ring so true. i’m full of jitters about starting my new job tomorrow (and how will i continue to balance a creative life for artmaking?) and yet the part about “meeting exactly who we need to meet” made me take a deep breath: right! i know i’m right where i need to be. and yet i worry anyway!

    xoxo,
    k.

    Reply
  6. zanny

    KellyRae–

    I have your blog on my favorites list and have loved your art and your entries–today for the first time I am commenting. Your thoughts about your “family of intention” struck such a chord with me. I too have such a wealth of friends and have been so blessed to understand the nature of friendship–transparency and authenticity–and it is those friends that are holding me now. I lost my brother to drug addiction 4 years ago and lost my sister to her alcoholism just 14 days ago. I am reeling with grief, but saturated with love and prayers from my friends and community. Thank you for your words today. They were a gift.

    Reply
  7. Leslie

    That gift is so awesome. Very affirming and beautiful!

    Reply
  8. Kim Mailhot

    I so completely understood what you so eloquently wrote here ! I thank God everyday, and five or six times on the really rough ones for my few very close friendships with my beautiful woman friends. I marvel at the way be I can completely vulnerable with them yet totally safe at the same time.I also know that I provide the same safety net for them. And not to mention, the healing hysterical laughter… It is indeed,…magic.

    Thank you for putting the feelings down in such beautiful words.
    Cheers,
    Kim

    Reply
  9. curious girl (lisa)

    wow. well said about the “gift of being vulnerable.”

    Reply
  10. tangled sky studio

    it is amazing that in this large and complicated mess of a world that we find each other and connect…it is a source of inspiration daily!

    Reply
  11. Christianne

    i so totally agree. thank you for sharing this. it is just what i needed to remember about what is most beautiful about our relationships with the wondrous people that have landed in our lives and why they are so important.

    Reply
  12. pammyjo

    I just found your blog. You are incredibly inspiring and your art is stunning. I just love it! Will be dropping by often. to be inspired by your talent and creativity. Thanks!

    Reply
  13. tracey clark

    PS. I thought you might like this photo. I think it’s wonderful, just like you. : )

    Reply
  14. tracey clark

    magic indeed. as always, your words are poetry.
    i am so happy that our stories are intersecting…i feel my heart expanding with each soul sister that wanders into my life.
    it’s wonderful, all of these women who make our journey so rich.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to zanny Cancel reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Don’t want to miss a post?

Get my posts sent to your inbox as soon as they’re published!

Hello + welcome!

I’m Kelly Rae Roberts

Before I picked up my first paintbrush at the age of 30, I was a medical social worker. I followed my creative whispers, and today I’m an artist & Possibilitarian. I’m passionate about creating meaningful art and experiences that awaken and inspire our spirits.

Get the FREE

Possibilitarian Manifesto

+ a 20% off coupon!

 

Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Blog Categories

Recent Posts

Featured Freebies

VIEW ALL