Kindred spirits….

I think that maybe I first learned of the idea of a kindred spirit when I read Anne of Green Gables many many years ago.  These were the people in Anne’s life that totally understood her.  I have always loved the way those words sounded together. It gave me pause to realize that the entrusted friends that I have drawn into my inner circle are my kindred spirits. Instead of just friends, these are Friends with a capital “F”.

I have always been particular about making friends long before I knew I was an introvert and discovered that it was a trait that tended to go hand in hand with the label. We Intros tend to desire a very few close friends rather than a lot of fringe ones. It’s not that I don’t like meeting people and being friend-ly.   It’s just that I  prefer deep, long-lasting meaningful relationships marked by a great deal investment into each others lives, rather than the more superficial ones. It is these friendships that get the lion’s share of my energy. I guess in my quest for friends, my internal radar detection system is sensitive to souls who feel the same.

Amongst the sea of friends that I’ve been blessed throughout my life, I can pinpoint one or two really close ones in each season…the capital F’s…these are my people…my kindred spirits. They rise up out of my timeline to stand taller than the rest. It is something that I can’t really explain, but I most definitely can feel. Most of the time it was an instantaneous reckoning of a deeper connection and heartstring intertwining.  I knew them in a moment.

As a young child, it was much easier to make friends, but even then, I could sense this quality in my closest friendships. Clearly there is something inside of us that recognizes a kindred spirit even at an early age. Our heart knows our people.   It is like the clicking into place of a puzzle piece. We become more guarded as we get older and we don’t allow ourselves the vulnerability of youth, but even so, our heart still knows our people.

Within this precious bond, there is an unspoken comfort level of understanding. There is no pretense and no worry in our interactions, only authenticity. There is honesty…at times painful… but always necessary. There is support and accountability. Through time and distance, a thread of a conversation can be picked up mid-sentence with these treasured few. They know me…the real me. There is no hesitation. These are the ones that I will pour out my heart to and listen intently while they pour theirs.

I recently was reminded of the story of David and Jonathon in the Bible in 1 Samuel 18: Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.   I think that God gives us kindred spirits that are knit to our very soul. He has placed them strategically along our path when and where we need them the most. They are like beautiful Easter eggs to be discovered with delight.

So to all of my Kindreds far and near, you know who you are, I am SO incredibly thankful for God’s knitting handiwork.

“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables