Watch How Friends Are Like Angels...

Friends!  A funny thing happened to me while I was in one of my favorite shoppes in Naples, Florida this spring. It’s called the Paper Merchant and it has just about everything you can think of. They even have two locations in Naples.

They carry cards for every occasion, Knick knacks, gifts of every variety, even children’s clothes (think “Grandmother’s Heaven”). They’ll also print invitations for you, it simply goes on and on.  I’ve donated a boatload of dollars in there, multiple times.  They may be painting my name on a parking place soon...

My last visit included a discovery of a super cute gift book which I gifted myself (my better half loves it when I do this) and I also picked up another copy for a friend.  It would make a lovely gift for your friends!

This book is short and sweet, while being loaded with quotes from famous people and Scripture verses from the Bible.  All of them are accompanied by darling illustrations by award-winning watercolor artist Claire Stoner.  The title is:  Good Friends Are Like Angels:  They Add Blessings to Life.

One quote by President Woodrow Wilson jumped out at me as I used it in my book: 

“Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.”

This came in handy when my friend, Betsy Heady, wrote her treatise about the venue of a Bible study group and its power to cement relationships. She used the illustration of weak cement being a huge problem in Haiti when they had an earthquake.  She then reminded us of Jesus’ teaching about the wise man building his house on the rock. His house didn’t fall when the storms came. (See Matthew 7:24)

Regarding our Bible study group, Betsy says, “the most tangible blessing is found in the family of God. Jesus Christ has been the cement for all these relationships, and for this we are forever grateful.”

Let’s now look at my TOP FIVE favorite quotes from this book. I predict you’ll delight in every page and hang out for a while with each quote and illustration. (These are five of probably one hundred, so just a taste...) A cup of tea or coffee would make an excellent accompaniment to your reading.

1 - Hymn writer Isaac Watts is featured on another page.  The below could be a sweet night time prayer for children, grandchildren, and even us adults:

2 - Eustace Budgell said, “Friendship is a strong and habitual inclination in two persons to promote the good and happiness of one another.” This quote flat makes me smile ear to ear.

3- Samuel Taylor Coleridge said, “Friendship is a sheltering tree.”  This particular quote has one of my favorite illustrations.  Two friends are under a tree, side by side and it’s a beautiful picture of friendship.

5 - Henry Ward Beecher said,

Isn’t that a beautiful visual? My dear friend, Aletia Thompson, is the perfect example of Beecher’s quote. (Those of you who know her are nodding.) She and I call each other #1SFAM (Sister from another Mother) and our babies happened to be married to each other. Is our Lord the best or what?

5 - Here are four of my favorite Scriptures in the book, also in beautiful illustrations:

Philemon, v. 20, says, “Let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.”

Hebrews 13:12 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”  This illustration has the most fun creation of a hostess with a huge teapot and an angel seated in a chair, sipping tea, complete with a halo and wings.

Romans 14:19 says, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Amen! Those of us with the disease to please love this verse.

Proverbs 27:9b says, “A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.”  This verse is in Good Friends Are Like Angels and is also on the back cover of the book. 

Fun footnote:  One reason I bought the book is because this exact verse (Proverbs 27:9) was given to me in a card years ago. I promised if I ever wrote a book on friendship (which I did, thanks be to God and a LOT of help and prayer from my friends for twenty-seven very long months!), this verse would be the first words in my book.  It’s the heart of the message in my book and is likewise from all my friends who contributed words of wisdom. 

Now you know what I’m going to say, “Run, don’t walk to your nearest bookstore and grab Good Friends Are Angels: They Add Blessings to Life for you and a friend.  It’s a treat you don’t want to miss.”

‘Til next time!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are “affiliate links.”