Butcher Block

Okay so I had a really nice visit with a great friend last night and it got me thinking about a specific piece of symbolism in our friendship. Before I share the story I'd like to say that this story has so many facets and ways that it can be perceived in all our lives.
The story goes like this...
A long long time ago, on a planet sorta like ours there we're best friends. They spend oodles (yes that's the technical term) of time together, one would even venture to say they were attached at the hip.( I actually think my mom is the one that started that!) Anyway they we're in totally different places in their life journeys but that never stood as a road block of their friendship but more as an incentive.
I was married with 2 beautiful children and Liz was a swinging single. ( I lived vicariously through her a little bit... Okay a whole bunch) We spend most waking moments together drinking coffee from red cups and smoking tons of cigarettes. One day we were rearranging my kitchen and I came across my butchers block that I had had forever, it was not beautiful as age had taken its toll on the wood, it was big and bulky and took up a good chunk of my counter space. So as we are accessing this block I say "maybe I should just throw it away, does a person really need a butcher block? I can just throw the knives in a drawer right?" and Liz in her infinite wisdom started throwing objective questions in my path to determine how attached I really was to this piece of warped wood. She Said " well the knives can go in a drawer but they wont be easily accessible, and what if you reach in and cut off a finger searching for another tool?" so we debated off and on for awhile on whether it was in my best interest to keep the damn thing and then she had an epiphany! She suggested I put the butcher block somewhere where I couldn't use it for a week and see if I missed it, if so I still had it and could resume use as normal, if not I could chuck it later. So now where to "hide" it? I didn't have a ton of cabinet storage space and taking it out of the kitchen setting just seemed wrong, so we settled on freezing it! So there my butcher block went into the freezer, out of sight out of mind... My Counter tops were less cluttered, and it was easier to clean up, and I didn't have to bear the weight of lifting it up to move it or clean under it but a bit of time went by and after few near misses in the knife drawer and the realization that it preformed a task far superior than I gave it credit for  I decided to unfreeze my block!
I have many times referred to that wise bit of wisdom for many different instances in my life. But the one I can share with you now is friendship.
Friends are our butcher blocks, maybe we've had them for awhile and think that the space is needed for something new, maybe we get tired of the constant work that goes into maintaining that friendship, maybe we just want a little less clutter, or  maybe we get to a point in our own lives where we are our own butcher blocks. So we put our friends on ice so to speak, we stop making as much of an effort, or we constantly let things get in the way, or we just get tired of our own lives in general that we can't bear to focus on anything, and the thought of a true friend coming in and seeing right through our bull shit excuses and calling our bluff is unfathomable. So we put them on ice...
Unfortunately most friendships can't endure the bouts with the freezer so as we go through life most of us are plagued with regrets of past relationships.
Here is the key to the whole story are you ready for it???
FORTUNATELY there are people in all of our lives that are so valuable and so deeply rooted in our existence that they can handle a little bit of cold.. and no matter the position you have at work, no matter what or who your spouse is, and no matter where you are at in life's journey, they will be able to come out of the freezer and warm back up immediately, they will love you in spite of your flaws, insecurities, moral dilemma's and general all around craziness. and they will slide back into the task that they are there to preform, with no bad feelings or judgments. But the key is not leaving them frozen for long.
Our friends are chosen for us for specific reasons that I have no understanding of, its that way all through life, and people come and go quite frequently. But True friends really don't have rhyme or reason, there is no motive or anything to gain and true friends are tough work, its tough to stay in touch, its tough to know the correct words to say, and its tough to fit them into our lives. BUT that is when it is most valuable, when the work is hard the results are great! I am so grateful for the friends that have been chosen for me, if you were an outsider looking in on my life none of my friendships would make any sense and that is what I love about them..
Shane- My rock . my husband, my soul mate. You signed on for my craziness! Without you my world would be too much to bear, thank you for carrying the heavy parts! I love you more than anyone could imagine!
Chad- My unicorn-We have been through so many years! honestly my only friend from the teenage saga, and I am so grateful to be able to list you in my top 5, for all intents and purposes our friendship is a unicorn.Unbelievable by most that know our story. I am so proud of the wonderful man, Father, and amazing Friend you have become!
Liz- My Butcher Block! Its amazing that after all this time and all the help you have given me and all the pain you have survived with me that you still thaw out! Thank you so much! You have touched my heart in a way you'll never know!
Becky- My Tulip- Every time I see you its like the first moment in spring when the tulips peek their heads out. Our times together aren't nearly long enough and we have alot of life that gets in our way but I am so grateful for the joy you bring me when we're together.
Aaron- My Chosen Brother- Our friendship is goofy and hilarious, You allow me to be crazy. Our common love of sports and the rivalry that ensues is such an awesome thing! (Go Eagles!) I can speak freely to you about anything without fear of judgment or retribution. And your family values and your love for Jesus are traits that I admire greatly!
Steve and Rox- My Inspiration- You two are the best friamily(friend and family) I could ask for. Your always here for me when I need it and we share common interests (Superbowl here I come!) . I really enjoy hanging out with you 2 anytime for any reason! We have had our share of hard times but thankfully I get to call you friends!
Thank you to all of the peeps in my life- the close and the not so close. And to my True friends- you guys are my reason!