Our journeys are all different.  We meet so many people and I believe they all, in some way, have had an impact on where we’ve been, where we are or where we’ll find ourselves as our story continues.

I was visiting with a dear friend yesterday and her journey has taken her to a place where she is forcing herself to be courageous.  She’s endured numerous surgeries to remove the unhealthy cells that took root and grew in her unsuspecting flesh.  This woman is among a small percentage of people in my journey that have shown me the kind of friendship you don’t establish with everyone you choose to call your friend.  Her heart is filled with compassion.  Her eyes sparkle and shine and every time I’ve visited with her, I feel a genuine sense of her immeasurable love for others.

The conversation we had yesterday involved her experience with someone that had a very negative impact on me several years ago.  I learned that this person is now weaving her distorted reality into the minds of unsuspecting souls at the expense of my dear friend.  She’s very good at what she does and during my experience with her, my path was very lonely.  I tried to expose her dishonesty and lack of integrity but I never felt as if anyone would ever believe me but were convinced rather, that I was the one that needed to make some positive changes in my life.

My analytical mind tends to work overtime and I search endlessly for reasons hurtful behaviors or circumstances present themselves at the worst possible times.  Here is what I have so far.

I honestly believe they’re meant to be distractions.  They cause our minds to shift our focus at times, and most often, when our minds are fixated on something painful or frightening we are forced to endure.   During my “not so pleasant” experience with the woman mentioned earlier, I realized my marriage was no longer a marriage.  Did the lies she told about me help?  Probably not but they definitely put a bit more fist in my fight and grit in my sight.   Not long after my dad passed away the house my mom is living in began to fall apart.  The sink stopped up, the toilet quit working, the water heater went out, the septic tank needed to be dug up, the basement flooded, the electrical box had to be relocated, the water line started leaking and the transmission went out on her car!  She missed dad terribly but she didn’t have quite as much time to think about him as she thought she needed as she was too busy trying to keep up with all the disasters going on around her.

My dear friend shared her story with me because she knew I had been there, in that same place, several years ago.  I’ve since moved on and chosen a new direction.  I’m traveling a path that has led me to some amazing places and I’m a better person because of it.   I prayed for my dear friend last night and I’ll continue to pray for her.  I also prayed for the woman that continues to find ways to put as many bumps in other’s roads as she possibly can.  Those capable of hurting others are just covering pain they harbor within themselves.  They’ve lost their way and no matter how much effort they put into “throwing stones” at others, I pray they’ll one day realize those “stones” will never pave a path in the right direction.