I started this blog as a journal of sorts. I've written in a diary my whole life and began blogging to keep my thoughts and memories throughout the days. It's my way of giving the kids a sort of 'memory book' of their childhood.
An important page in that book I'd like them to have is about friendship.
They're going to meet friends that will come and go, but my hope is for them to find true friendship. The kind that lasts the test of time.
I want them to know that they're going to come across different types of friends throughout their lives. They'll have friends who want the best for them and who find joy in their happiness...but they'll also have the ones who want what's good for them...as long as it's not better than what the friend has.
They need to know that there are friends who genuinely make you happy. When you're with them, your cheeks hurt from laughing. There's nothing you could say or do that would offend them and when it's time to part, you truly miss them and feel thankful for spending time together.
Other friends won't bring the same joy. Sure, you can do things or go places together, but it's not the same. That ease isn't there and in some cases, you even feel worse when you take your separate ways. Those friends will hopefully be few and far between, but it won't take long to spot them out.
To have true friends, unconditional friends and positive friends, is nothing less than a gift from God. To be able to pick right up where you left off no matter the time or distance between you, should be cherished.
I've had the fortune of having some of the best friends on Earth. My roommate from graduate school, is one of them. We met when we were 18 years old as freshmen. Four years later, we went on to grad school and spent countless hours in our little apartment laughing, studying and having so little money that we'd eat corn out of a can for dinner.
Amy and I went through some of the best and worst times together. No matter what test we'd have or boyfriend we might cry over, one thing we'd always do, was throw on sweats and a t-shirt and vent. Back then, there were no cell phones, laptops, or iPads. I'm dating myself, but back in the 'good ol' days' friends would simply sit and hang out. (gasp)
Nine out of ten times, we'd end up throwing a movie in. Our go to, was always "Dumb and Dumber". Why? It's hard to tell. The more Amy and I watched it though, the more we laughed, to the point where we could pull lines from the movie and fall over for no apparent reason.
We swore that one day, if they ever made a sequel, no matter where we were in our lives, we'd promise to see it together.
Guess what? They did.
Sixteen years have passed since graduate school. We've been in each others weddings, been to baptisms and birthdays of our children - and just like back in the day, we've seen each other through the good and bad.
It didn't take a second to decide then, when or how we would see the movie. Amy figured out the best meeting place between Ohio and North Carolina with the movie times and location.
We both told our husbands (who thought we were crazy) that the plan was in place.
Our fantastic parents watched the kids so Amy and her husband Dominic and Adam and I could meet in West Virginia to see 'Dumb and Dumber to'.
From the outside looking in, it was insane, but to us, it's what friends do. We didn't have to go all that way just to see a movie or fulfill a promise...we wanted to. We wanted to laugh our heads off and wipe tears from our eyes. We wanted to stay up talking and sharing thoughts and stories. We wanted to do what true friends do...simply be happy being together.
If my children read nothing more than this, here's what I want them to know. No matter what happens in your life, true friends will always be with you either in person or in spirit. They'll take joy in your success and they'll hurt with you in your failure. Your friendship will stand the test of time...for as long or as far away as you may be from each other. And if you're lucky, if you're very, very lucky, you might even have a friend that would be crazy enough to drive states away, just to get together for a movie, a promise and a bag of popcorn.
Life doesn't get much better than that.
Thank you for always being the Best of Friends Amy! Miss and Love You. (According to the map, we've only gone 4 inches...)
An important page in that book I'd like them to have is about friendship.
They're going to meet friends that will come and go, but my hope is for them to find true friendship. The kind that lasts the test of time.
I want them to know that they're going to come across different types of friends throughout their lives. They'll have friends who want the best for them and who find joy in their happiness...but they'll also have the ones who want what's good for them...as long as it's not better than what the friend has.
They need to know that there are friends who genuinely make you happy. When you're with them, your cheeks hurt from laughing. There's nothing you could say or do that would offend them and when it's time to part, you truly miss them and feel thankful for spending time together.
Other friends won't bring the same joy. Sure, you can do things or go places together, but it's not the same. That ease isn't there and in some cases, you even feel worse when you take your separate ways. Those friends will hopefully be few and far between, but it won't take long to spot them out.
To have true friends, unconditional friends and positive friends, is nothing less than a gift from God. To be able to pick right up where you left off no matter the time or distance between you, should be cherished.
I've had the fortune of having some of the best friends on Earth. My roommate from graduate school, is one of them. We met when we were 18 years old as freshmen. Four years later, we went on to grad school and spent countless hours in our little apartment laughing, studying and having so little money that we'd eat corn out of a can for dinner.
Amy and I went through some of the best and worst times together. No matter what test we'd have or boyfriend we might cry over, one thing we'd always do, was throw on sweats and a t-shirt and vent. Back then, there were no cell phones, laptops, or iPads. I'm dating myself, but back in the 'good ol' days' friends would simply sit and hang out. (gasp)
Nine out of ten times, we'd end up throwing a movie in. Our go to, was always "Dumb and Dumber". Why? It's hard to tell. The more Amy and I watched it though, the more we laughed, to the point where we could pull lines from the movie and fall over for no apparent reason.
We swore that one day, if they ever made a sequel, no matter where we were in our lives, we'd promise to see it together.
Guess what? They did.
Sixteen years have passed since graduate school. We've been in each others weddings, been to baptisms and birthdays of our children - and just like back in the day, we've seen each other through the good and bad.
It didn't take a second to decide then, when or how we would see the movie. Amy figured out the best meeting place between Ohio and North Carolina with the movie times and location.
We both told our husbands (who thought we were crazy) that the plan was in place.
Our fantastic parents watched the kids so Amy and her husband Dominic and Adam and I could meet in West Virginia to see 'Dumb and Dumber to'.
From the outside looking in, it was insane, but to us, it's what friends do. We didn't have to go all that way just to see a movie or fulfill a promise...we wanted to. We wanted to laugh our heads off and wipe tears from our eyes. We wanted to stay up talking and sharing thoughts and stories. We wanted to do what true friends do...simply be happy being together.
If my children read nothing more than this, here's what I want them to know. No matter what happens in your life, true friends will always be with you either in person or in spirit. They'll take joy in your success and they'll hurt with you in your failure. Your friendship will stand the test of time...for as long or as far away as you may be from each other. And if you're lucky, if you're very, very lucky, you might even have a friend that would be crazy enough to drive states away, just to get together for a movie, a promise and a bag of popcorn.
Life doesn't get much better than that.
Thank you for always being the Best of Friends Amy! Miss and Love You. (According to the map, we've only gone 4 inches...)
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