Friends

I have been thinking about the friends I have had over the years. I have never called anyone my "best friend" because to me, that means you don't have room for other friends in your life. And let's face it, we could all use more friends. I do have some great friends in my life that have those "best friend" qualities. I really am so grateful for those qualities being shared with me. I am a better person, mother, and hopefully friend because people were willing to share their best with me.

One of my oldest friends (Kristen) is from high school. She has taught me how important it is to have a sense of humor (Harry, Nona). If you can laugh at life, you really are ahead of the game. She has taught me the importance of forgiveness too. She had the ultimate betrayal and yet she forgave and has tried to move on. She doesn't make a lot of money, and she is not famous, but she has heroic qualities.

Another friend (Heather) taught me to never doubt my skills as a mother even before I had kids. Being a mother is the hardest job out there. You have to believe in yourself and the good influence you can have on your kids because sometimes, you are the only one that believes that.

I learned about being generous from Leslie. I had to stop saying that I loved certain things of hers, because often times, she would just give it to me. She really showed me that material possessions are not that important. Things do not define us. Money comes and goes. She taught me, if you are not using something, or you don't like it anymore, give it away! Let someone else use it and love it.

I have SIX sisters! I know, that is so many! What great friends all six sisters (Tam, Cam, Kim, Mist, Tar, Tiff) are. I call one of them at least once a week. It is so fun to have them to laugh and cry with, and tell embarrassing stories to. And it is so great to have six friends that love me even when I am crazy.

Jill has taught me to always be positive. Life sucks sometimes, but you can still be happy. Jill has also taught me that we don't always have to say "I'm Fine", when we are most certainly NOT fine. She is a true friend that will serve with no expectations.

I have learned how important it is to give genuine compliments from Nic. She always has such nice things to say about me. She is able to give those compliments so freely. She never compares and the words she uses are so believable.

Having Linda as a friend helped me realize I can do crazy, hard things in life; fail, and still survive. And then be a better person because of that failure.

So why all this boring talk about what I have learned from a few of my friends? I just spent last weekend in San Francisco with my dear friend Doone. She has been my friend for 16 years now. We met in our married ward at BYU. Then we both moved to Houston for grad school. We try to see each other yearly. This year we went to a great city. We saw all the sights. We even saw the play WICKED. But I realized my favorite part of the trip was talking to Doone until I fell asleep, and my voice was hoarse. I miss my friend. I miss living across the street from her. I miss going out to dinner on a Friday night. I moved away from her and thought I could replicate her, not replace her, just replicate. I can't. You really can not replicate the perfect friend, can you.
I don't have many friends, but the ones I do have, are very dear to me. Thank you for never forgetting my birthday (Roslyn). Thanks for enduring my potty mouth. And thanks for being my friend. You have taught me more than you know.