#10 EMBRACE FRIENDSHIP

Friendships - true friends, loyal friends, funny friends, faithful friends - are all vital in our lives. #friendship

TRUE FRIENDSHIPS

Friends are one of life's greatest blessings - true friends enrich our life immeasurably by accepting us for who we are and choosing to share their lives with us. As I look back over 50+ years I am so grateful for the friends I have gathered along the way - both old and new, and those somewhere in between.

LIFE-TIME FRIENDS

My oldest friend goes back to our mothers being pregnant together - she was born a few months after I was and we have grown up together - we've taken quite different paths at times, but we still have the connection that fifty years can't help but instill. I love that we are both still interested in how each other's "kids" are going and what is happening in our lives - even though we don't physically see each other much any more.

I have another friend who I've known since I started Primary School - she and I have walked very similar paths, she was one of my bridesmaids and we are still friends now, seeing each other every so often to catch up on the news. It helps that our husbands knew each other from "way back when" so they always have plenty to talk about when we get together. 

LIFE-STAGE FRIENDS

There are many friends from my high school days and from days when I was a young mum, whose lives are running parallel with mine - our facebook updates mirror each other's - our children's engagements and weddings, then grandbabies, travel, work, leisure - so many similarities. We aren't close but we still care and we're still interested in each other's lives and how they are playing out over the years.

Time and good friends are two things that become more valuable the older you get #friendship

LIFE-LONG FRIENDS

Then there is a handful of close friends - the ones who have been there through thick and thin - the ones who listen and empathize through the good times and through the painful times. The friends who always have time to catch up for a coffee and a chat. Some I've known for decades, others for less time, but each has a special place in my heart. These friends help me laugh, they've been there when I've cried, they share their hearts with me and I share mine with them.

Friendships take on many shapes and forms, but loyalty, trust, humour, authenticity, empathy, commitment, and love are all part of the mix. As I've gotten older, the number of friends has whittled away with distance, circumstances and choices that moved us in different directions, but those friends who have a place in my heart are more valuable than I can say and more appreciated than they will probably ever know......maybe I should mention it at our next coffee and catch up!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Is your life full of connections, friendships, and people who love and support you? Are you noticing that your friendship list is getting shorter as you hit Midlife?

RELATED POSTS:

If you enjoyed this post, it's part of a series and you can click HERE to find links to all my "Embrace Posts" - I hope you enjoy them and they inspire you.


Friendships - true friends, loyal friends, funny friends, faithful friends - are all vital in our lives. #friendship

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Cresting the Hill - a blog for Midlife (Middle Aged / 50+) women who want to thrive

17 comments

  1. How lovely Leanne that you have friendships that are a lifetime. Unfortunately, I lost touch with my childhood friends and only reconnected with a school reunion last year. There are different types of friendships and some come only for a short time in our lives but add to the richness of our life.

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    1. I'm sorry you lost contact with those friends Sue - I've kept up with some of mine over the last few years with fb. You aren't face to face, but you still get to share each other's milestones :)

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  2. (((oh the gift and curse of my laptop. I can't tell if my comment worked or not :-))))
    Suffice it to say I do not have those friendships left from when I was teeny tiny and I pray my child always does

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    1. It's funny Carla - I love my laptop because I can actually see what I'm doing - and yes, your comment appeared :) I do hope your daughter stays in touch with her closest friends - social media helps a lot with that as we get older!

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  3. As I am reading this, I am waiting on a text from my high school bestie who is heading to town. I moved from her town my junior year but we wrote letters (this was long before texts and internet) We now rarely write and only see one another every couple of years but the minute we are together it is as if the distance of miles and time were never there. I wish this sort of friendship for everyone.

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    1. Me too Laura - I bet you have a wonderful time together and feel like you're 16 all over again (that's another benefit of high school besties!) I love that the years fall away when you catch up.

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  4. I totally agree. One of my best friends died this past December and I miss her a lot. I will forget she is dead and think I have to call her about something and then remember. We were friends for over 30 years and that kind of friendship is just hard to replace.

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    1. I'm dreading that happening Haralee and I'm so sorry for your loss, it those moments when we forget and think they're still here that are special and sad at the same time.

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  5. Having at least one very close friend who I could tell everything too has always been very important to me, sometimes you need somebody to rant to so you can see the problem through someone else's eyes.

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    1. I agree Rena - I only have a couple of really close friends and I value them beyond words. There's nothing like being yourself and knowing they understand is there?

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  6. Well said dear Leanne as you always do. My best friends are from my younger days and I value them so much. Like you one of them is my bridesmaid.

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    1. It's so lovely when friendships span so many years isn't it Kathleen - nice to know we chose so well when we were younger!

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  7. There are no friends like your old friends. That special bond you have with people who knew you way back when. And thanks to FB, we can keep up with all that is going on in their lives now.

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    1. I love facebook for exactly that reason Cathy - it has kept me connected to so many old friends who I would have lost contact with otherwise - and you're right, old friends do hold a special place in our hearts.

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  8. Friends are the best! :) And the older I get, the more I value them. You are right that social media allows us to keep up with so many we would not normally see otherwise, and I love that. But I especially love those face to face visits with someone we haven't seen in a while.

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  9. What a precious gift friends are. Whether they are here for a lifetime or a little time, it's so nice to have someone you can feel at home with. Someone to bounce ideas off of, listen to, comfort or be comforted, to laugh with and dream with. Nothing better than that!

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  10. I am not sure how I would have made it through the last few years without my friends "silver and gold" (new and old). Thanks for sharing on #FridayFrivolity

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Thanks so much for your comment - it's where the connection begins.