beautiful tears...

I got to experience something really beautiful today. I got the pleasure of listening to my two best friends cry. You may be thinking, "did you say 'beautiful,' Katie?" Yes...beautiful. No, I don't like that either of them were brought to tears, nor do I enjoy in the slightest when either of their hearts feel even a twinge of pain - but to be able to listen to their hearts overflow...and feel their raw emotion...and be able to hurt with them, or be lonely with them, or broken with them was amazing. To have friends in your life that you care about so much that you hurt when they hurt is such an amazing gift from God. To have friends in your life who aren't scared to let you see their tears (or hear them, in these cases, since it was over the phone), and who willingly share them with you is simply...beautiful. Each of them had completely different situations, completely different reasons for the tears, and were in completely different parts of the country.....but having the pleasure of knowing each of their hearts so well to be able to understand where they were coming from - and to be able to have the opportunity to be an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on was simply beautiful. Though tears streaming down a face aren't particularly welcomed on all occassions by those whose cheeks are being stained....they are welcomed on my shoulder any day they are needed to be cried.