you gotta have friends

...Friends are great, aren't they? And in this day and age, there are so many different ways to gain friendships. I am so blessed to have so many friends in my life--from my childhood (I have several that are still going strong and I absolutely love that), through Seth's work, through church, through blogs and scrapbooking and even by meeting parents at my boys' schools.

This past weekend, my childhood friend, Holly, came to visit and I just loved having her here! She connected with my kids (Noah went right to her, hugging her neck and Rhett talked her ear off the whole time) and it was awesome to see her get to know that part of my life better. Thanks for coming, for everything, my friend!

*****

Friends are also hard to get along with at times. Rhett and Noah have this neighbor friend, whom they both adore. The other day, though, he came over to play and ended up hurting Noah and telling Rhett he was never coming over to play again. Rhett was crushed. (Rhett is a lot like me in this way--he wants everyone to like him) The whole afternoon he was so sad that this kid did not like him. I tried to tell him that he was probably mad at me for telling him to go home after kicking Noah. But I don't think I convinced him. "You'll see," I said, "he'll want to play with you again."

And he did. The very next day. Boys. You know a girl would have waited at least a week to get over being mad! :)

*****

I know some friendships are never meant to be. They may have bitter endings which leave you feeling heartbroken. Some are never-ending and become so important and dear to you. Some friendships are shallow, some one-ended, some happen quickly, while others take years to beome something. All I know is to be a true friend you have to support, be honest and loving and caring and be yourself.

So, to all my friends, I hope you have a wonderful week. You mean so much to me and I am grateful to have you in my life. Happy Monday!