Friends

Make new friends, but keep the old.

One is silver, and the other's gold.

If I sit and think about all my friends I've ever had in the past 25.5 years of my life, I'm amazed. Each one is different, each have different memories, but all are special in their own ways. I think that after we move on, we change. And, in ways, we may be so different now that our friendships would not be the same. 

There's my best friend from grade school. We'd do everything together and we were tomboys. We'd explore in the woods, build forts, jump off of everything that was high, and throw our dolls off them, too. We'd ride our bikes to and from school and beg our parents to let us spend the night with each other all the time. But, we moved away. I still keep in touch, though. She has a daughter now.

There's my friends from high school - so many. We went through the high school dramas together and shared a lot of common interests, but mostly goals and dreams. I wonder how our dreams have changed and molded us now.

There's my best friend who knew everything about me. We were closer than any friendship had been. We would just talk for hours, or just watch the same show at our separate homes, while the phone was at our ear (don't even pretend you didn't do the same thing). We shared laughs, tears, frustrations, and opinions with each other. We both moved on and have separate lives now.

There's my friends from college. My roommates who knew everything about my life at that time, who were always up for watching an episode of Friends or a walk to Starbucks. We had fun living in the most spontaneous years of our life, while being poor, needing little sleep, and just having fun. We've moved on and have separate lives now.

There's our fellow dental-minded friends. They are always a phone call away even though they are states away. They keep us down-to-earth and are always willing to meet up and travel. They inspire each of us to relax and enjoy life.

There's my friends from flock. These people helped me grow and learn to be a wife. They shared my struggles, they prayed for me and I for them, and we all laughed and shared stories with each other. So many moved and then it was our turn to move on, yet these friendships are ones that I won't give up lightly.

There's something about our old friends. The one I can email to catch-up with, or call when I am in town to have coffee, or the one who gives great advice and I can email at anytime - we can get together and, no matter how we've changed, still laugh about old times and catch-up on the new stuff.

And, there's our new friends. Oh how I dreaded the awkward making friends stage. But, God brought us to a place where He provided the friends we would need. Already, he has given me a great new friend. One who loves to walk around Target without needing to buy anything. One who has a dog and is willing to let mine come over to play. One who I can call and who calls me. 

I love friends, new and old. Whether reconnecting, catching-up, or in my life right now, you all have a special place in my heart.