"There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship." - Thomas Aquinas
I count myself as a very blessed girl in that I have never had any problems making friends. I don’t say that to make myself sound like I’m better than anyone, because heaven knows I’m not, I just have come to the realization that I’ve been very blessed in this area of my life. However, don’t give me a math test or ask me to participate in any sports activities because I will fail miserably at both.
I grew up in a close-knit church where there were usually a lot of kids my age to play with. I would see my friends at church once, sometimes twice, a week, and on top of that, we would frequently have play dates at each other’s houses. Some of my most fun memories of being a kid were when my friends and I would play at each other’s houses and explore the unknowns of our backyards. I loved not having a care in the world and being free to be a kid and have fun.
It doesn’t come too easily for me to be brave in brand new situations, and this was especially true when I was younger. As I began my first day of Kindergarten at my local public school, a sweet little girl named Caitlin and I found ourselves gravitating towards one another. We were both quiet and shy, and didn’t want to interact with the other kids in our class, but we felt comfortable being with one another. This quickly blossomed into a very close friendship, and we were best friends from Kindergarten until we went to different schools in Seventh Grade. We were always at each other’s houses, making up new recipes and games at mine and playing with her llamas at her farm while we danced to *Nsync. Although we’re not as close as we were back then, as life has taken us down different paths, we still keep in contact. About twice a year will sit down together over a delicious cup (or two) of coffee and catch up on everything that we’ve both been doing. It’s like no time has gone by at all because we pick up right where we left off. I really love those types of friendships.
I love having a lot friends who are interested in a very diverse array of hobbies. I’m always learning new things from them, such as the plot of this great new movie that they just watched that I now have to see, or a sweet new band that they recently found, or the different needles that they use for their beloved knitting hobby. It keeps life very fun and interesting! As amazing as it is to have all of these friends in my life, it’s unfortunately pretty much impossible to keep up with ALL of them and be close to every single one.
I’ve always found it very difficult to let go of being friends with someone. Meaning that I’ve had to realize that some friendships are only meant to last for a season, and not for forever. In my head and heart, I always think, “Once a friend, always a friend! Stay true to one another to the very end!” as I pump my fist in the air as a sign of personal victory and accomplishment. I have a hard time not being 100% loyal to someone or something that I truly believe in and love. It wasn’t until this past year that I started to realize that maybe there are friends that are in my life for certain seasons of time and for certain reasons. I remember when I was attending community college and had a small group of close friends that I would see almost daily. I became close to them all in different ways, and we bonded over different things. Looking back on that time of my life, I can now see that God picked those specific people to be in my life then because he knew we needed one another. I definitely needed their friendship and encouragement to help me through my college classes! Am I still friends with them? Yes (most of them, actually), but our friendships have evolved and changed over the years as we ourselves have.
I guess what I’m trying to say in this post is that friends are some of life’s greatest treasures, and I don’t want to ever take them for granted. Recently, when I’ve been hanging out with some of my closest friends, I’ve been consciously trying to take a step back from the moment and see how truly amazing, gifted, loving, talented, and hilarious these people are. My dearest friends have played a huge role in making me into the person I am today, and I can think of no better people to do the same thing for my son. When you find those few genuinely special friends, hold on to them tightly and don’t let them go. Pursue them and your friendship and work hard to keep it strong. Encourage, love, and pray for them. Spend intentional quality time together over lunch or a cup of coffee. Send them fun letters in the mail. Randomly send them a text and tell them that you’ve been thinking about them that day. It’s the little things that really add up and make the difference between a surface-level friendship and a true, deep, meaningful one.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” // Proverbs 27:17