Friends

As I sit here doing a breathing treatment I have decided to reflect on the great friends that I have in my life.  I admit that I don't always walk around thinking about how many wonderful friends I have but maybe I should.  This past weekend was my 37th birthday.  I have always said that if I don't throw myself a party who will, so with the help of my wonderful husband we planned a lovely evening of festivities.  Not only was  I celebrating a birthday but a close friend of mine, one of the best, was playing his last gig.  He is moving to Colorado after being in Virginia for many many years.  He is going through some life changing events and he is starting a new adventure.  So we were all together this weekend having a wonderful time reflecting, laughing, and just being together.

You see we all kind of belong to this special group of friends because we have all experienced the same things, in the same place, and that makes us connected in ways that are hard to explain.  There is a large span of years that we have known each other and there is certainly a bond.  You can think of the Olympic rings.  There might be seperate rings but they are all connected.  We have experienced great joy such as graduating high school, graduation college, getting our first real jobs, quiting our first real jobs, meeting "the one", ok maybe he/she wasn't "the one", meeting the ONE, attending and being in each others weddings, sharing the joy of the first baby, the second baby.  Along with the great joys come the great sorrows like being laid off, divorces from the ONE, custody battles, diagnosis of diseases, death and suicide.  We have been through these life events together.  Along with the celebrations come the defeat but we are there to join in, not matter what the circumstance. 

I am not saying new people aren't accepted into this pool of friends but the love and respect we have among each other allows us to have a break in those rings for others to be a part of something so beautiful.  I hope non of this sounds strange but friendship like the ones I am talking about are hard to explain.  There is a quote I heard a long time ago and I can't remember who said it but it is "People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime."  I truly believe this to be true.  I am just blessed that the people in my life are here for a lifetime.