To borrow from John Lennon..."I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends"

How often do you sit back and reflect on your friendships?  Probably not often enough, if you're anything like me.  Sometimes a little "friendship-Spring Cleaning" is in order and most always, it's worth stepping back and counting your blessings.  I've been doing a lot of thinking about my own friendships over the past few months and have tried to be a better friend, the kind of friend I would like to have.  People say you can tell a lot by looking at someone's friends.  I believe that. 

My best friend from college is visiting this week from Florida, and I'm thankful to have her close, if just for a few days.  It makes my load feel lighter, just knowing she is near.  Our friendship has seen us through so much over the years and even though there are several states between us, our bond is as strong as when she lived right down the hall.  She's the kind of friend who can complete my sentences, who knows what I am thinking before I say it.  I'm lucky to know her and even luckier to call her my friend.  She is the most real person I have ever known and she's as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.  She's my Jenny! 

Then



Now

Shelby, "I love ya more than my luggage" - Clairee
Steel Magnolias

 This week has been a tough one for me personally and I've been reminded of the friends I have.  I'm so thankful for all of them.  A wise friend gave me some advice related to friendship recently.  She told me that sometimes people come into our lives for a specific purpose and, once that need has been fulfilled, it's ok for them to no longer be in our lives in the same way.  Other times, we will have friends who come and stay a part of our lives forever.  The lesson I took away from that advice?  It's perfectly normal and to be expected that some friendships will outlast others.  And, there's nothing wrong with having a really strong friendship with someone and then growing apart.  I'm grateful for my friend Melissa who gave me that advice - it lifted a weight that I've been carrying around for some time now. 

Remember, it's about QUALITY, not QUANTITY.  We live in the age of Facebook - look around at how many people measure their worth by how many Facebook friends they have.  It's important to remember that just because someone is a 'Facebook friend,' it's not the same as being a real friend.  I'm trying to teach my boys this - popularity is a phase so be sure you build quality friendships - they're what lasts. 

Here are a couple of my favorite friendship quotes:

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival."
- C. S. Lewis

"The best mirror is an old friend."
- George Herbert

So, in the spirit of Thirty-One, I want to remind you to take time to CELEBRATE, ENCOURAGE, and REWARD those special friends in your life!  There's no time like the present to say..."Thank you for being my friend."