Friends... Gotta Have Them!

I don't know about you, but friends are so important to me. I literally cannot live without a good friend. I have had a couple best friends. Several good friends and lots of friends, even more acquaintances. Here I want to touch on all of them to some degree. I think they are all important. Obviously some more important than others, but everyone who touches our lives are important.

Acquaintances are important because they can lead to other people we may get to know better. But there isn't a whole lot more. They are nice people who we meet, we see once in awhile and may have fun and laugh with a few times at a mutual party or something. You may not think about or talk to them a lot, but when you do, it brings memories up. Good or bad.

Good friends are those who you may have over for dinner a time or two. You may go over to their home, talk at church, text or talk sometimes, but not everyday. They will usually be there if you need help with something. But there may be some things you wouldn't ask or tell them. But imagine if you only had a best friend and no good friends? Your best friend would get worn out. So good friends are important.

Now on to the best friend/friends. I don't know what the norm is for best friends as in how many people usually have. I would assume 1 or 2. I have one that is more like a sister. The kind that you can tell anything to. Won't judge or make fun. Will laugh with you, cry with you and be by your side through any struggle you may go through. These people are important for many reasons. I can't imagine life without one.

So when we put it all together it makes up our life. Can you imagine life without any of these people. Imagine only have good friends and a best friend. No acquaintances. Wouldn't that be weird? No good friends? No best friend? I wouldn't want to do life without any of these. I think that God puts people in our lives at certain times in our lives. When you were a child you probably had a best friend. Normally they don't carry into our adulthood. You mat stay connected to them, go out once in awhile, talk and have fun. But probably are not as close as you once were. I had a best friend through my years of about 11 - 14. But then some things happened and we grew apart. I had another best friend from 12 - 14 or 15. We started off as pen pals. She lived in another state. Then she moved to my same state and we were so close. But I started to grow up and she didn't. We just began to grow apart. I was so sad. I remember crying for days.

Then around 14 I became best friends with my cousin. We were literally inseparable. We did everything together and spent every minute we could together. We didn't even want to go on vacation with our families because we would miss each other. Then I got married and she was not happy. She was 18 and wanted to get out of her parents home so bad. She stopped talking to me, spread rumors about me and all kinds of things. I was so sad because this is a part of our lives I always dreamed we would share together. Then God brought more people into my life. Each person helped mold and make me. Showed me things I needed to learn about life and about myself. But each time after only a couple of years something would happen and the friendship would almost dissolve.

When I was at my whits end and needed someone so bad, I started praying. I started randomly inviting people to our house and trying to meet new people. It worked. I now have the most awesome best friend ever. Just like any other relationship we have ups and downs. But I truly believe we have a friendship worth fighting for. Everything I am today I owe to her and God. I have learned so much about myself and life. I have realized that there is something new to learn all of the time if we just open our eyes and hearts and are willing to become who we should.

Through it all I have shed a lot of tears, had a lot of heartache and have been sad a lot. I have been confused and felt so alone. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. It has all shaped my life. Made me realize who I want to be and who I don't. I am grateful for every bump along the way. I don't deal with change well, but I am learning.

I hope some of this can help someone. Life can be difficult, but we need to be determined to learn from it.