Happy Fourth of July!

And remember what it stands for. Freedom. The American Flag. This great land of ours. The United States of America! Hooray!
Plus, a very Happy Fourth of July Birthday wish goes out to my son's girlfriend, Brittany! A really special young woman and we sure do love her! ♥

Friendships

Yep. I'm still here. I'll give no excuses. Well I did give excuses, but I decided to delete them. It doesn't matter much, does it? Maybe no one even noticed that I didn't write a dad-burned thing all week. ☺

I've been thinking about friendships lately. I don't have a ton of friends. Certainly there's my husband, kids, family, but other than that. Not many. Oh, I can't forget my dog. He loves me unconditionally. He's a friend, without a doubt.

No, this isn't a pity party.

I don't mind not having a large circle of friends. I cherish the ones that I have. Life has been busy for a long time and I wasn't able (and didn't take/have the time) to cultivate the friendships that I had. My family came first. I have no regrets but, sadly, I've lost touch with many of those friends.

Some of the friends that I met along the way probably weren't really friends at all. Just acquaintances that shared a common interest or goal at the time. Sure, we run into each other here and there and we hug and make small talk, but the friendship that we once shared...it's no longer there.

There are others whom, although we don't see each other often enough, I still consider dear friends. I cherish the occasional lunch date that we share. I consider them to be true friends. Sometimes it's difficult to take time out of our busy days, but we manage to do it. And we cherish those times.

There are my Laura (as in Laura Ingalls Wilder) friends. Many that I knew only through the message boards or listservs. We were finally able to meet last summer at LauraPalooza. Some I know better than others. I do love those friends. I hope they feel the same. There are also some that I've yet to meet. I consider them to be my friends too. It's amazing how well you can get to know someone without ever having met. I feel such a connection to these friends.

 I also have friends that I hang onto because they've been there awhile. We see each other occasionally, but we really aren't "friends" anymore. We've lost touch. I'm sad for that, and I have tried to rekindle those friendships to no avail. People change as they get older (me included) and I'm sure this is the case in these situations. I suppose we'll always be "friends" because of our history, but there are those that you just tire of the drama and hurt involved. Maybe it's time to move on...

And my blogger friends? I love you all! I've gotten to know many of you very well through your blogs and I know that we would be great friends in person too. Thanks for always being there!

What is a friend?

In my life, a friend is someone who is always there for you. A friend is someone who shares in your joys (even if they are a tad bit jealous) and your sorrows too. A friend is someone who, no matter how much time has gone by, you can pick up with just where you left off. A friend is someone who will do (just about ☺) anything for you and vice versa. And a friend is someone who will not take advantage of you and vice versa.

Have you ever read this book? I have loved Joan Walsh Anglund since I was a little girl.