Thank You For Being a Friend

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On my 4.5 hour drive back from Minneapolis this afternoon, I had time to reflect on how blessed I am to have such fabulous friends. As I cruised south on Highway 52, I kept hearing the song: 
Thank you for being a friend

Traveled down the road and back again
your heart is true you're a pal and a confidant
I'm not ashamed to say
I hope it always will stay this way
My hat is off, won't you stand up and take a bow

And when we both get older
With walking canes and hair of gray
Have no fear, even though it's hard to hear
I will stand real close and say,
Thank you for being a friend.
By the luck of the draw, really, you can be dealt a royal flush when it comes to your family or, sometimes, you are dealt some really crappy cards and come up with nothing.

But when it comes to your friends, you have choices. I am profoundly grateful for my friends--friendships that began in kindergarten that are comfortable and grounding to friendships that are still newly forming and that make me think in new ways and find appreciation in things I had taken for granted. Friendships begun based on a single common thread, with a classmate or co-worker, but friendships that grew because of deeper threads that reinforced the friendship.

When I think collectively of my friends, I think in some ways they are all very similar. But, really, they are all very different and each enriches my life in unique ways. I can't explain exactly why one or the other has become such an important part of my life. But, when I don't see a friend or communicate with a friend for some time, there is a definite void that is not automatically filled by another friend.

My friends know when I am down, can make me laugh almost on demand, and are hopeful for a world that should be better than it is now. We are comfortable in each other's presence and can relish the quiet times shared when two friends are merely sitting in the sun enjoying the company of the other without the need to fill each minute with chatter.

Thank you, my friends, you know who you are.

 

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