best friends

On this Valentine's day when there are hearts and flowers and chocolates all around I am grateful for friends. I have lots of friends in my life. It's a blessing really - the number of people who I care about and who care about me. And it isn't just the kind of "friend" that counts because you read their facebook status updates (altho that has been a delightful way to reconnect with folks I must admit). No these are not the kind of people one might "un-friend". These are the folks who I know I can call at 3a.m. if I need to talk. We can talk about what we hope for, what we are disappointed about, the things that we would just burst if we couldn't share them with someone, and the things we wish weren't happening at all. We talk with one another when we can, send round-robin emails to catch up with one another, and just keep talking and laughing and crying and sharing and caring in one big ol' conversation that has now lasted for well over twenty years.

I remember when I was a kid worrying that I didn't have a "best friend". It seemed to me like all the folks in the books I read, on the tv shows I saw, in all the good movies, had a bff. Someone with whom they shared EVERYTHING. That wasn't my reality. I had friends, people to hang out with and play with - there were lots of Barbie dolls and pretend shows. There were sleepovers and birthday parties and fun memories. But it wasn't until I was older that I started finding forever friends.

Some of them were people I had known for a long time, but it wasn't until we were all older that we truly got to know one another. Some of them were people I met in college. People who seemed to speak the same language. Even though we were from different places, different family situations, studying different subjects - we could talk and laugh and cry together. This tribe is one where I have always felt free to be exactly who I am - and I love all of them for exactly who they are, too.

There are lots of songs and poems and cheezy cards being circulated today celebrating romantic love. To be clear, I'm a fan of that, too. But I think we sometimes undervalue the gift of real friends. So on this Valentine's day, I'm thankful for the genuine love of good friends because, near of far, I cannot imagine life without them!