This past week at Book Club we were talking about how one street in our neighborhood has almost completely turned over in the past year. New families = new friends. However, it is sad to see the people we have been around for the past 4-5 years move on. We talked about how in the coming years we would all probably end up in different neighborhoods.
My friend Rachel said, "Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver, the other gold."
I started thinking about that and how I am very blessed to have a lot of gold-level friends in my life. That is who I am - a person that makes AND keeps friends. I get it from my paternal grandmother, who probably had people at her funeral who had known her for 80 years (she was 82 when she died). She was that kind of person and I was blessed to inherit that strange gene from her.
I am often asked, "How do you have time to keep in touch with so many people?" The answer is simple. I just do. I have the time because it is what is important to me. I have time to blog because it is important to me. I also should add that my children aren't in any extra-curricular activities. They just go to school. I don't have a problem with sports/dance/music. I just don't want to add that to what we are doing right now. So, I have the time.
With the invention of Facebook I have had the blessing of reconnecting with many old friends. Having graduated from high school BEFORE cell phones, internet, email, text, chat, digital cameras, etc., it was almost impossible to find people until it came along. Now, if you look on my Facebook page and my friend Morgan's facebook page you will see that we have 107 friends in common. Every single one of them are from high school. Morgan is a "gold friend". We can officially say we have been friends for close to 25 years. There is something special about a friendship that endures that long. Now he is friends with my husband and I am friends with his wife and we have talked about having them come and visit. Gold friends are awesome.
I've always loved that song!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you know how to prioritize. That is awesome, especially since I'm sure there is pressure (even if in our own heads) to bring on more activities that may/may not help the kids/family.
Anyway, thanks for posting. Great thoughts and ....personal attributes!
You are one of the gold friends in my life! So happy to have lived by you for so many years, and happy we are still friends and still connected. You truly are wonderful at making (and keeping) friends. Could you teach me how you do it?
ReplyDeleteI will be at your funeral because that is what next door neighbors do...and we will live on this street till we die, right?
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