Thankful for My Friends

I'd like to talk about friends that I'm thankful for today.  The way I try to remember things is by starting as far back as I can remember, then moving forward.

My best friend when I was a child was Jimmy.  Jimmy lived in the house behind us at 210 Flint St.  I'm ashamed to say I can't remember what Jimmy looks like, nor his last name, but I remember his soft spirit and kind words.  We were spiritually unable to separate, forever talking over the fence. 

After we moved to a suburb, I can honestly say there was no one I remember as being a good friend from the time I was 10 until the time I was married. It was OK because I had a close cousin or two and never gave it a thought.  Besides if the truth be known, high school was a time of a wild spirit.  Not as wild as most, but for me, well let's just say I was having some fun.  I went from extremely holy little girl to flower child.

After I married, one sister in law and I connected in a way that Jimmy and I connected.  That was forty six years ago, and we are still connected, even if we live 900 miles apart.  She and her family reached out to us when we were going through some dark times. (Health issues in the family.)  She never forgot me as being her friend and treated me the same as always.  She made me laugh at a time I thought laughing would never be heard again.  For this I am forever grateful to you D.   xxx  ooo

We moved to a small town when our eldest was in first grade (or there about) where I knew no one.  Again, this was OK because I learned as a child to be self sufficient.  I liked my own company and lots and lots of books.  When our third child started private school, I met a woman whose son was in our forth child's kindergarten class.  She would gather up a few of us moms to say the rosary every week.  We had the same values and the same sense of humor.  Needless to say, we clicked.  We are still friends all of these years later, even though we are separated by the same 900 miles D and I are.
We'll call her P or F depending if you use her birth name or 'street' name.  P made the arrangements for the get together after Bob's funeral mass and to this day I don't know how she did it.  She just did because she didn't want me to stress.  It's difficult to remember most details of that time, but I do remember what a show of love and caring P demonstrated to her friend.  xxx ooo to you P or F.

It's time to move to current days.  I made new friends, but kept the old, one is silver and the other is gold.  In the time since my husband's passing, I've made two close friends.  E lives in California which is three thousand miles on the opposite coast from me.  E has the most gentle and loving spirit of anyone I've ever met.  I'm not sure she sees herself this way because of her humility.  She loves God with all her heart and wants nothing but to become what He wants of her when her time comes.  I want her to know that loving God has nothing to do with worldly religion and it's rules.  It's what you are and what you strive to be - loving and merciful.

Friend number two is a fellow Catholic girl.  You can't imagine how excited I was when I first spoke to her.  I think I rattled on for twenty minutes about how excited I was to be able to discuss our religion with someone.  I then found out she was a history teacher in a Catholic school AND (get this) taught religion to her students.  I hit the jackpot!  The beginning of a long and happy friendship.  It's come to the point that we talk every day and discuss everything from deep subjects to the bargains we found that day.  A kindred spirit.  It doesn't take much to make either of us happy and excited.  Did I mention she's the absolute queen - hands down - of bargain shopping?  She keeps annual totals of her savings and the one year that sticks out in my mind is a couple years back she saved 14000 dollars on her purchases.  I may have forgotten to mention how organized she is.  She's trying to teach me.  Trying!  I simply adore her, too.  xxx ooo J.

That concludes the five best friends a person meets in their life time.  I'm certainly opened to more, but gold is difficult to mine.  I love you all.  Thank you for seeing the inside of me.

The last one to mention is not a friend, but I feel a kindred spirit with her.  We've never met and most likely never will, but I was led to begin praying for her and her lovely family a while back.  Her heart is genuine and she loves God.  You can 'meet' her by going to her yoo toob channel 'The Frugalnista'.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNigPnNIWn158F5UimfqLaw


Stay safe.