Love is a Good Friend

I was raised an only child. I don’t have any regrets. My personality and temperament were well suited for a sibling-free existence. However, although I didn’t have brothers or sisters, all of my life I have been blessed with really good friends and I do consider friendship to be a blessing.

Family is great but you are born into a family. You choose your friends. You select the people who make up your circle. The influence of your family cannot be overstated, but the content and character of your friends reflects who you are – what you value, what your outlook is live and basically who you are.

As you grow, your friendships grow as well – either they grow with you or you outgrow them. I’ve had one best friend since fourth grade. She and I are still close to this day. Although our lives have proceeded down different paths: she’s married, I’m single; she has kids, I don’t; she’s lived in Cleveland all of her life and I’ve lived in several states, we have remained close friends because we have grown together in many ways. In terms of maturity, outlook and values, we remain the same.

I had a talk with another friend about the nature of our friendship. I had commented that it seemed to me that I was always telling her things she didn’t want to hear. LOL! Yet, she told me that that trait was something that was unique among her friends and it was something that she appreciated me for. As a friend, I tell her what I think she needs to hear but I do it from a place of love, respect and concern and I think that makes all of the difference.

While I fully expect these friendships to last, others have not been so fortunate. These are people that I grew apart from in terms of distance but not as much physical distance as much as emotional distance. We simply didn’t value the same things anymore. For these relationships I am grateful. These people served a purpose for me. I guess that purpose wasn’t designed to last a lifetime.

Because I appreciate my friends, I try to show that appreciation through action. When they need me, I do my absolute best to be there … be it with a sympathetic ear or a helping hand. I hope the great women and men that I have the privilege of calling friend know that they are loved. We should all take some time to let those people who are in our lives voluntarily how very important they are to us.