Friendships

Have you ever thought about how friendships develop? I have given it a lot of thought the past couple of days. Some friendships start as children, in school, on the playground, at church.

Some take life as common threads begin to weave through lives.........working at the same place,

common friends, like hobbies or interests.

Friendships take place at all stages of life, from the very young to the old, and everyone in between. Friendships take different directions and paths. Some last a lifetime, others fulfill a need at a particular time and place. Some lead to romance. With any kind of friendship, at some point there is love and caring, camaraderie and bonding.

Friendships form out of need, mutual respect, survival of difficult situations, and sometimes there is no explanation for how a friendship develops. It's almost as though, the friendship has been there through centuries, many lifetimes, a never ending bond, sealed for eternity.

Some friendships flow. You may not see each other often, but when you do get together, you just pick up where you left off the last time you saw each other. Those are effortless. Then there

are those friendships that demand and you wonder why they continue......yet they do.

Maybe it is just too hard to let go, too much history, too many connections.

I have friends from all walks of life, all over the world. I love my friends. The relationships are all different, yet most special. Friends have seen me through the best of times and the worst of times. The ebb and flow of friendships makes life worthwhile. Whether the friendship lasts a lifetime or just a while, it is worth it. To put yourself out there, on the line, to form a bond of trust, of love, can be scary, after all there are friendships that betray and hurt.

One thing I have noticed as the years have gone by, time has become such a precious commodity, it should be spent with friends. It is so easy for time to be stolen by jobs, by obligations, so easy for us to think that we will get together with friends tomorrow or next week.

Friendships require work, like any relationship does. I have always loved the old saying, You can't pick your family, but you can pick your friends.

So tonight, if you have a friend you haven't seen in awhile, pick up the phone, send an e-mail.

Reconnect and discover why you became friends in the first place. Whether you are in beginning of a brand new friendship or basking in the joy of one that has lasted for years, cherish the moments, the conversations, the jokes, the tears and know that friends are truly one of life's most wonderful gifts.