The Gift of a Friend

Friends come in every different variety ... and as I was rereading my words about the group of friends that 'held the key' to what I needed to pull myself out of the hole I found myself in last year ... what I neglected to mention are the many other friends that are just as supportive and caring.

It seems I have a friend for each 'season' of my life ...

One friend who seems to intuitively know when she is needed in my life. She seems to be the one who hears me out when I am in the thick of a 'life transition'. She listens, offers words of advise, is there through the rough patches. Her intuitiveness amazes me ... and has been there through thick and thin.

I have another friend that I call when I am at my wits end. I was having a meltdown with my (babysitting) kids one morning and I knew she was the one to call. It never fails - it seems that we are always on the same page and able to relate with whatever the other is going through. We had an instant connection when we met in high school, parted ways as life took us off in different directions, met up by chance when we were riding the same bus one day ... and we've remained close (at heart, if not distance) ever since.

And I have several friends that are kind of friendships that time disappears the moment we hear each others voice on the phone, mail or email. Our lives are completely independent of each others, but the connection is strong and our friendship is real.

A cousin that I grew up with ... where we can go back in time and become our younger selves again when we visit. Echoes of the past, laughter, support, understanding, a kinship beyond our blood ties. We respect each others life choices and I believe our bond is unshakeable.

Friends tied to the past remain in my life. That is a more fragile bond - misunderstandings can happen easily because we sometimes are walking in uncharted territory. It doesn't undermine the bond we shared and I believe that an afternoon and a pot of coffee would bring us back to a stronger spot.

A best friend from my childhood that I haven't seen in ?? so many years I can't remember. We share a Christmas letter and now with email, we have the odd mid-year connection as well. My dream is to take a trip to see her. I feel like we could take a step back in time and reconnect in a fun and new level.

There is an email that has made the rounds many times about the people in our lives that are there for a 'Reason, Season or Lifetime'. My 'Lifetime' friends ... my 'forever-friends' as I so often call them .... I cherish the bond, the history and our friendship. There is simply a sense of ''knowing'' that we can pick up from where we last left off no matter how many miles or years have separated us.

My only hope is that I am able to return all that I have received in the name of friendship....