Do you have a girlfriend who is your ‘rock’? She’s the type of friend you can call on whenever you need a stable, reliable, caring friend who helps you return to your real self. She’s the one who can handle whatever news you have and help give you a new perspective.

Rocks are symbols of stability, a permanent foundation and long-lasting faith. They’re the things of rings and jewels, the cornerstones of buildings and the fundamental element of our planet. Pretty meaningful, right? No wonder the term ‘rock-solid’ friend exists!

We found a site and product that unties this fundamental element with friendship and we just had to share. And check out below for their upcoming contest. Rock on girlfriend!

My name is Cathy Raff, founder of The Friendship Stone. I wanted to tell you a little bit about why I stared the Friendship Stone, and share with you one of the many stories of giving the Friendship Stone to one of my girlfriends and her reactions to it.

After a trip to South Africa, I had bought a huge collection of the most beautiful Tiger’s Eyes Stones I had ever seen. I have collected stones my entire life, so when I say amazing, I mean amazing. I originally brought them back with me to leave at my father’s gravesite each time I visited him.  (He loved Tiger’s Eye’s too).

As they sat in a bowl on my table, I would look at them daily. I came to the realization that so many of life’s truths were all wrapped up into this one little stone. First of all, I loved touching them, and that reminded me how much I crave the human touch. I cannot make it thru the day with out tens of hugs from my kids, husband and friends.

Secondly, I noticed that as you turn the stone around in your hand, you actually see completely different things, as if it were a different stone. I am the strongest believer in attitude, and perspective. I know that we can always find something positive in EVERYTHING that happens in our life, we just need to find the right angle to view it. I realized this was a great metaphor for that belief.

Thirdly, each stone was unique, just as each and every one of us is. The stones were shaped in a stone on stone process, which made them the shape they are today. The people that have touched our lives shape us too.

Fourthly, I noticed that the stones were not “perfect”, yet their beauty radiated outwards. I thought wow that is so true about all of us too; we all have ours “imperfections”, yet the world sees our beauty.  It is a great reminder of accepting all parts of ourselves and to completely accept that imperfections are actually what make us “perfect”, real!

I loved that you could carry all these important truths with you on a daily basis, because the stones were small enough to be in a pocket, your purse or wallet. They are a fantastic way to stay connected to the people important in your life.

That carried into the concept of giving, the gift that can be carried everywhere one goes, as a reminder of the special people in our lives and a way to keep all the above truths concrete in our daily life. I love giving gifts, and this was a great gift to give. After all, it represented me, and friendship is the ultimate gift you can give.

I started giving them out and the reactions were tremendous. That is why after six months of giving away stones, I started The Friendship Stone. I wanted to share this important message of Friendship, Perspective and Giving with the world and I soon realized this has become my life’s mission.

One of my most moving stone stories is when I heard that a very good girlfriend of mine was diagnosed with fourth stage lung cancer. Her mother and Aunt had both died from lung cancer, so you can imagine how scarred she was. I live in Israel and she was in the States. I immediately looked for one of my best stones to remind her of my presence during this tough challenge, and more importantly, that she needs to stay positive in all that she was about to face.

He husband told me that when she went in for surgery, she took only one thing with her to the Hospital, my Friendship Stone. It brought tears to my eyes when he told me that her stone never left her side.

Miraculously, she beat all the odds. Today she is doing fantastic, three years after her surgery; she is living a full, healthy life, and still carries around her Friendship Stone.

In Friendship, Cathy

And Cathy reminds us that Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and The Friendship Stone has great gift ideas for you! Remember to use your coupon code for you 14% discount when checking out! “valentine”!

Looking to Submit your Love Story for the Great Valentine’s Day Love Story Give A Way. Click here for more details on the Valentine’s Day Give A Way!

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Tags: friendship, friendship stone, girlfriends, relationships, rock

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 at 9:15 pm and is filed under Be a Better FRIEND. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.