friendship

Much can be said about friendship, but here of some of my thoughts of late. Sunday one of the speakers in church talked about the importance of friends and tenderly expressed his appreciation for his best friend, his wife. I was touched. On Monday I was discussing with a co-worker my excitement about having a daughter. I said

"I am scared to death about raising a girl, but I just want a daughter to be my friend when we are adults together."

I hadn't meant to make this woman feel bad, she is the mother of two boys, and I didn't. She simply commented that her husband has always been her shopping companion and loyal coffee shop company.

Make no mistake about it, Richard is my best friend. This week while he has been away I have particularly noticed his absence. Which is what makes me especially grateful for my friends who pop up here and there to keep me going. They offer to help, they spend lonely evenings with me, and they help me keep perspective.

Last night I hosted a presidency meeting. The meetings at my house have a reputation for lasting late into the night. Long after we have discussed the calendar and the positions we need filled we discuss every other unrelated subject. Our theme for last night was especially humorous. It left me laughing the kind of belly-laugh that invigorates my soul. Not only that, but it made me feel unified with other women. We all have so much more in common than we realize.

I'm so glad for friends. I don't need any research or science to tell me how important friendship is to my general well-being. I just feel it.