friends or FRIENDS?

Have you ever realized how you have your friends and then you have your FRIENDS? I have many friends and some of them I've known since elementary school. Wild, huh? I even keep in touch with some girls that were in a playgroup with me before our school years even began. But I've only known most of my FRIENDS for a couple of years. Maybe it's different times/different places. Maybe it's the season of my life I'm in right now. I don't know. But I'm starting to realize how much I really treasure my FRIENDS. As I turned 30 this year and faced medical ....challenges, I guess you can say I became a little philosophical. (stop laughing)

I'm always shocked when facing a personal change/tragedy to find out who my true friends really are. But my FRIENDS are also there for the mundane, day-to-day 'stuff'. You see, I have many friends, but I truly only have a couple of FRIENDS. They are the ones that will and have stopped everything in their lives for little ol' me. They stop their busy lives, their motherly duties, their wifely duties, their work duties and do it all for me when it's my time of need. WITHOUT hesitation. They prepare dinner for my family while their family has take-out. They offer to watch my kids when their own kids are driving them nuts. They remember every important date in my life and if by chance they forget, they say sorry and don't just ignore the fact. They give freely of themselves and never think twice about it. They are not concerned with what they will get out of it. That, my friends, is how you know who your FRIENDS are. They do what they say they are going to do and they do things for you that you don't even know you need until it's done. It's like that country song (including the only man I'd ever leave my hubby for- Tim McGraw! Ok, well, maybe Matthew McConaughey too but that's another story, another post):

You find out who your friends are

Somebody's gonna drop everything

Run out and crank up their car

Hit the gas, get there fast

Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?'

or 'it's way too far'

They just show on up

with their big old heart

You find out who your friends are


So, how many FRIENDS do you have? And more importantly, are you a FRIEND to someone? Do you know how to be a FRIEND? I consider myself very blessed with many wonderful friends, but to my true FRIENDS- I could not live without you. You carry me through this crazy walk we call life and I thank God for you daily.