​Do you watch a movie all the way until the credits end, or do you click off your remote the minute they start? Do you sit in the movie theater and read the credits or jump up and leave to be the first one out the door when the drama ends?

I will admit I was never a stay-to-the-last-word kind of person… until recently. I am not sure why I began reading them, but now I find them fascinating. I watch the list of the main actors. Then the cast of names roll by of everyone in the movie even if they had the tiniest part. Sometimes I see names I recognize, and I didn’t catch their face during the film.

After that, I like to see the music that is played in the background – the title, the composer, the singer. Many times it is meaningful music that I find later and add to my own life’s playlist.

The writers of the words, the directors of the motion, the designers of the costumes, choreographers, sound experts, set designers, stunt people, catering people, assistants, and assistants to the assistants. No one is left off the list of credits. Even the animals in the film and those who take care of them are listed. It takes more than a village to create a motion picture that imitates life.

What about our life? The real moment-by-moment adventures of our life create the drama, tragedy, love story, and comedy that folds together into the movie of us. Who would be on our list of credits at the end?

Can you imagine how big the cast would be? At first the stars of the show were our parents and us. The cast was much bigger. There was a team of doctors and nurses that brought us into this world. As we grew the list of cast members grew. Siblings, babysitters, teachers, coaches, friends, and pets filled the big screen of our lives.

Soon girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses, partners, employers, and employees were added. Our life was choreographed as we danced to our drums and sang with our hearts. And when events were celebrated or tragedy knocked us down, remember those who celebrated with us and picked us up when we fell. Remember the doors of family, churches, and places of support that opened and invited us in.

Over the years, there were service people who sold us the items we use every day and the people who served us meals. Writers, editors, and publishers who created the books, newspapers, and magazines we read. The computer wizards that gave us the ability to access information at the touch of a keyboard and helped us work in this world. If you pull back the curtain and look behind the scenes, you would see the contractors that built our homes, the farmers that grew our food, and the companies that produce the electricity and gas that powered our lives.

If you really think about it, would our list ever end? Everything we use, touch, and see in life is here because of someone other than ourselves. They don’t show up in our daily routine, but they deserve mentioning on our roll of credits.

Maybe when our lives end, we should roll our credits. All of these people should be on it. It isn’t just us in this life. There is much more than a village that is responsible for all that happens in our life story- from the first cry to the last breath.

When our life is over, I hope that someone will honor me by acknowledging all the people who made my life possible. After the tears, the speeches, and the goodbyes, I wonder who would stay until the last credit rolled.
​                             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                 Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                        It takes more than a village to create the life we live. 
                                        ​~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When I was a child, my friendships were created by walking together to school, sitting next to each other in the cafeteria, and being chosen for the kickball team at recess. 

Later in my life, I remember having coffee with my friends as our babies played nearby.
I wouldn’t think of going a day without talking to my friends on the phone.

I made friends sitting next to other moms as our children played soccer and baseball. I have had coworkers who became close confidants and soul connections.

Now in our fast-paced world do we know what having a close friend is? Do we confuse friendship with acquaintance? Is friendship defined by a blue thumbs-up on social media? Do these cartoon thumbs really represent a person that touches our hearts or are many of them there for self-acknowledgment – the more the better.  
I asked the question- “What is your definition of a Friend?”  to a progression of ages.

 A 6-year-old answered, “They are nice and funny.”

A 9-year-old responded with, “They are nice and they like who you are, not for how you look but for who you are.”

A 12-year-old reacted with, “Best pal, your forever buddy, someone who will be there if times get tough.”

Another 12-year-old replied, “Friendship is a bond that can’t easily be broken. Friends know what you’re going to say/do before you do it. They know what you are feeling.”

A 17-year-old reacted with, “Friends are people that are loyal to each other.”

A 47-year-old answered, “Friends are people who make your problems their problems so you don’t have to go through it alone.”

A 69-year-old said, “Someone I am always there for and they are always there for me.”

An 86-year-old said thoughtfully, “I tend to like people I have always been friends with. If you live to be old and can count your friends on the fingers of one hand- great! If you have more, that’s a bonus!”

An 87-year-old answered – “Somebody that you can rely on to ask personal questions and she won’t tell anyone else, and you do things together.”

I would agree with all these definitions.  
My definition would be someone that I hold mutual support, encouragement, and trust with. Someone I can laugh with and cry with. Someone, the first one, I would call at 2 AM to tell good news or bad.

Friendship morphs, grows, stagnates, or disintegrates during different stages and circumstances in life. There are many reasons for the ebb and flow, closeness, or detachment of a friendship.

Location plays a huge role. As a child moving across town changes the dynamic of friendship. For me, growing up in a military family, moves across the country plunked me into new schools and new populations. I learned how to make friends on the playground or stand alone.   

Divorce will create a situation of dividing property, belongings, and yes, friends.  
 
As we age, death and illness become a reality of life. Friends may pass away before us or become physically or mentally unable to participate in a friendship.  
                        
I have lived in many places and I have had many friendships. Some are lasting like my oldest friend in life – shout out to Kristi. Some have faded due to relocation. Some have been shattered by broken trust. Some have been lost through the division of divorce and separation of death.

I wonder if, as our friend circle shrinks, should we be trying to make new friends? Or is my small inner circle of trusted friends enough? 
No matter where you are in this cycle of life or what your definition of a friend is, my hope for you is that you have at least one. 
                                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                          Pennie’s Life Lesson 
                      “When you find a friend hold them close to your heart.
​                             A true friendship should be valued and honored.”
                                                            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

#CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough
YOUR TURN...        
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below.  And please feel free to email me  at:  [email protected]. 
                                                                 Thank you!  ​
                                      ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                         All Rights Reserved
                                          Copyright © 2013-2023 Pennie Hunt
                             This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
Feel free to forward and share this post.  Please keep the entire message intact, including  contact, logo, and copyright information. ​

It happened quickly. I was leaving the store and passed a mom with her small son. They were followed by a young girl walking a few steps behind them. It wasn’t an unordinary sight except for one thing. The sadness in the girl’s face and the single tear rolling down her cheek.
 
On the way to my car, my mind painted many scenarios. Maybe she was fighting with her brother and scolded by her mom. Maybe she wanted to buy a toy and was told no. Maybe she wanted to spend the night at a friend’s house and her family had other plans. Maybe she fell in the parking lot and skinned her knee. Maybe it was a small incident that hurt her heart and caused her pain. Maybe it was bigger. 
 
I have raised my children and spent enough time with my grandchildren to know that on any given day children can cry many times, for many reasons. I am sure I was in several stores when my children were young and they had tears on their faces for the scenarios I imagined about this little girl.
 
But on this day, this girl was giving me a bigger message. How many times do I rush through life walking right by people without giving any thought to the pain they carry? We all do it. The barista at your favorite coffee shop, the clerk who brings groceries to your car for curbside pickup, the barber who cuts your hair, the server who brings your food, your teacher, your student, your employee, your boss... do you know what pain they carry?
 
We all carry pain. It isn’t always carried with a sad face and a tear. Sometimes it is the people with the biggest smile and the loudest laugh that carry the most pain. How do we know? What can we do?
 
It just takes the one thing everyone seems to have the least of. Time. We are all busy and rushing so we don’t notice. We don’t have to notice. We don’t want to notice.
 
It just takes a second to smile at someone and let them feel seen. It just takes a minute to be kind, friendly, and wish someone a happy day. To make them feel like you care. It just takes a little time to ask someone how they are and not just as you walk away but ask and wait for the answer. The real answer.
 
We have all created a habit of being busy. A habit of rushing. A habit of avoidance. Think about what we are missing. We are missing connection. Communication. Caring. It just takes a little time to care enough to connect. To communicate and learn about others. To show interest in their feelings and share in their happiness - and their pain.  
 
I tried to make quick eye contact with the girl that day and smile at her. I don’t think she noticed. If she had stopped crying and wiped her tears two minutes before I walked by, I would not have noticed her. I would have never spent time wondering about her sadness. Wondering about her pain. I would not have received the message.
 
The message is that we all carry pain. We don’t get through life without hurt, loss, or tragedy. We don’t get through life without pain that we carry deep in our hearts. The tears and the scar tissue may not be visible, but it is there.
 
Once we experience this type of pain and learn the lessons that accompany it, we become more aware of the pain others carry. Hopefully, we share some of our time to wipe a tear or two, give a smile, or have a conversation when it is needed.
                                                        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
                                                              Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                 We never know the pain others carry in their hearts.
                                                      ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

#CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough
YOUR TURN...        
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below.  And please feel free to email me  at:  [email protected]. 
                                                                 Thank you!  ​
                                                           ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                         All Rights Reserved
                                          Copyright © 2013-2023 Pennie Hunt
                             This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
Feel free to forward and share this post.  Please keep the entire message intact, including  contact, logo, and copyright information. ​

#CornerofSpiritandBrave #loveyourlifenomatterwhat #journeythrough #PennieHunt #YouAreGoodEnough
YOUR TURN...        
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below.  And please feel free to email me  at:  [email protected]. 
                                                                 Thank you!  ​
                                      ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                         All Rights Reserved
                                          Copyright © 2013-2023 Pennie Hunt
                             This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
Feel free to forward and share this post.  Please keep the entire message intact, including  contact, logo, and copyright information. ​