"I get by with a little help from my friends."
~ John Lennon
With this month's theme being "connections" I began thinking of the connections in my life of which there are many and varied. But I think the connections we have with our friends is one of the most special connections in our lives. I have close relationships that have spanned well over 30 years and more. I do regret not keeping in touch with my high school friends but after moving so far away and my parents also leaving and thus having no reason to visit, I lost touch with them all. I am on the high school alumni email list where I receive notices of deaths and that truly does make me sad. Sad to think that a once upon a time friend has died and I did not even know her as she became an adult, got married, had children and grandchildren and now is gone.
When I think about my friends I feel really, truly blessed. I have my Bunco gals, my Bookclub groups, my church friends, my Bible Study ladies, my neighbors both past and present, my work (hee hee no more) friends, friends that I have made through this wonderful world of blogging and others who are just friends because. I truly believe I could call on any of these friends at any moment for whatever I needed (except maybe money....giggle). I hope you all have friends like these. Connections are so important in our lives.
These friendships don't come easy, they take time and nurturing...building trust and love. I once had a friend tell me she didn't have time for any more friends in her life, she had plenty. That struck me as odd to not want any more friends. Life circumstances can change and those who were once your friends may go in different directions. That commonality that once bound you together has been removed such as losing your spouse and now you are a "single" and may not fit so well with the "couples" group any longer. Or you may change jobs and no longer see that same group you hung out with every day, losing that day to day companionship. Or you may have moved or life simply got in the way. There are many reasons that may change your relationships but true friends stay friends no matter what the circumstances. But foster it you must. Stay in touch, reach out often, keep that connection intact.
This morning I reached out to a friend who I met the first week we moved here in 1976. We have remained friends through the years, but every so often a lot of time passes before we reconnect. We are having lunch together next week and while together we will catch up on all that has happened since we last saw each other. It is too easy to let time pass without reaching out to those friends you do not see often. Remember to stay in touch, make a phone call, make a date, re-connect.
"If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair." ~ Samuel Johnson
PS Don't forget to post your "connections" pictures in our FOL Flickr pool. You just might see your image here.
.jpg)
7 comments:
I love what you wrote about friendships here. I was going through a tough time last week with no one I felt comfortable sharing with. The majority of my friends are 10-15 years younger than me and cannot relate to the transitions that the aging process is leading me through...thankfully....a colleague who is my age asked if I needed to talk and just that outstretched hand of "I'm here" changed my whole perspective. So I think it is also very important to have a group of friends that are around your same age. I had a child late in life so this put me into a group of women much younger than me because of our children...now that she is grown I am floundering a bit...but I will find my way with wonderful such as my colleague who 'get it'. Thanks for a wonderful post.
A wonderful post, Deanna, and one that has made me ponder connections and friendships. As an introvert, it's difficult to make connections and harder to make new friends. Thank you for bringing this to my attention as something I must work on...making new friends and connecting with others.
There is so much wisdom in this post. Friendships ... as with ALL relationships ... require time, effort and devotion. Your photos are perfect for your thoughtful post.
xo
:-D
What is that saying, "friends are the family we can choose." Something like that. Friends definitely are important connections. I find myself as I get older, having a smaller and smaller group of "true" friends, although, of course I'm friendly with so many people I interact with each day. Maybe I need to join a group, build up my friend base! haha Lovely photos Deanna to accompany your words.
Great post about connections. Friends evolve with us--some move out of our lives but are always a part of who we are. I totally relate to your sadness at losing an old highschool friend. We remember them as young and vibrant. (At least we have retirement!)
You are so right, friendship needs to be constantly worked on. Too often we let life get in the way and we find ourselves wondering what happened.
I love your photos just perfect. I have tried to save one sunday evening a month to catch up with all my friends I have missed talking to. It helps keep the relationship alive.
You are a fabulous friend!
What a wonderful post! And your photos perfectly illustrate it! I, too, am blessed by my friends and know how important it is to keep that connection going!
Post a Comment
Thank you for sharing part of your day with us. If for any reason you are unable to leave a comment here on this post, please leave your comment on our Facebook page or in our Flickr discussion group. We love hearing from you!