gracious friendship

i've been learning a bunch lately about this idea of being a gracious friend.  i've mostly learned, in various ways, specifically through dear friends afton & ally & austin & justin, this idea of being gracious with people.  each of them have demonstrated this to me in really beautiful ways.  i still remember justin saying something freshman year that i still think about every once in a while:  he said "i don't think that the things people say or don't say or do or don't do should affect the way we treat them or love them."  when i think about the kind of person i want to be, it is that kind of person!  a person who people feel at rest around, like they can breathe and be exactly who they are and do not have to alter themselves... even their dorky or weird parts!  afton also said something to me the other day that really meant a lot.  she said "it doesn't matter what we do together, i just want to be with you, alexi"  wow!  i'm so thankful to have so many examples of this in my friends!  how beautiful.  i want to be that kind of person. 

i want to be gracious with people.. when they're crabby or sick or tired or happy or dorky or awkward or even rude. 
when they believe the same things as me and when they don't. 
when they talk about themselves all the time and when they don't talk at all. 
when they're sad and struggling and when they're not.

and it's interesting to me how the first characteristic given of love in 1 corinthians is patience.

just some food for thought.  let's love people well, friends.  i believe these are steps in unconditional kind of love that Jesus is so good at. (: