Friendship

So, it's literally the middle of the night, and I am nowhere near sleep. I thought since I'm up, I would write about something that's been on my mind lately. A few things have kept me thinking about the subject as a whole. I'll try to organize my thoughts, but I make no promises!

First of all, I recently started keeping in better touch and hanging out more with the girl I would have always called my best friend growing up. I realized the last time we got together that we really have very little in common. We're actually probably polar opposites when it comes to religion, politics, moral standards, you name it. But I still really enjoyed my time with her. And even though for years we haven't been very close, we still had so many inside jokes and laughs together. I still want the best for her and think she's fun and admire her for many different reasons, and know that tho we may not always be close, and time may go by that we don't talk at all, we'll always mean a lot to each other because we were always good friends to each other.

Then, an old friend that I have rarely seen in many years reached out to me. I was really glad that he felt he could do that, and that I ever meant enough to him to share this situation with me the way he did.

I also had my 10 year high school reunion last year. An interesting experience to say the least. And of course, I've been getting in touch with many old friends and co-workers through social networking sites, and it's so cool to see what everyone is up to.

I don't know that I would have thought of all of this, but something happened that made me think about what friendship really means. Someone I love very much told me they felt like they didn't have any real friends, and these examples came to mind. I came to the conclusion that there are many levels of friendship, and friends will come and go from our lives, and that's OK.

This has all made me really grateful for some things in my life:

1) My family. Because family is family, and you have to (well, really should), love and forgive each other. And even though we all end up taking out more on family than anyone else, I think in the end it makes us closer despite the hard times.
I'm also glad I was raised to be close to my extended family. At times, my cousins have seen more of me than my sisters, and have had to live with me and know more about me than just about anyone, and now I'm really grateful for that. They put me in check every once in a while and say things that make me realize something about myself I may not have been aware of before.

2) The Gospel. More specifically, the knowledge that spiritually we're all brothers and sisters and in the same boat. At least, in a way. Sometime in my teens, this principle really started sticking with me, and at this point I think I'm pretty good at staying aware of this fact. It really does help with things like road rage, or when the politics of modern-day church life really get to me. I wish everyone was aware of this truth and acted accordingly. I'm not saying I'm perfect at it, not even close. But just think what it would be like if everyone regarded people the way I'm sure they would if they walked around aware that we're all family, all here for the same basic reason, all going through our own problems and trials. We would all be more tolerant, forgiving, and loving. I know I am when I keep this in the forefront for myself.
My husband is really good at this. Anyone who'd been to a public place with him knows this. It's almost embarassing at times how easily he talks to complete strangers, but generally I think it's a great trait. I'm pretty sure he got it from his Dad. I've witnessed him doing those things a lot too.

3) Visiting Teaching. This is another Mormon thing, for any who might think it's a foreign language. I'll be honest, at times in my life, VT has been a pain, and I've taken a negative attitude to being assigned to care about someone, or have them care about me. But I know overall it's a blessing for so many people. And just this year I realized how important it is for me, because when I had what was probably the hardest time of my life, I had the perfect Visiting Teachers for my situation. Over the years I've made a lot of good friends this way, and been made aware of situations and people that I would not have been otherwise.

Anyway, I have realized that we just don't have time to give every relationship our all. We're so darn busy nowadays! We end up closer to some people than others, perhaps because of circumstance more than anything else. I personally love to catch up with everyone, love to see people I used to know and see where they're at now. Sometimes it's a little awkward, but I still think it's great overall. I think that most of these relationships, or lack thereof, happen for a reason. And I really believe we can learn something from anyone who crosses our path, sometimes we just have to look for it a little harder. And sometimes we won't know how or why we needed them until much later. I'm grateful for everyone in my life, whether they've been related, "assigned", or chosen to be my friend!

K, enough late-night rambling. It's now almost 3am and I am going to bed! Love everyone, Seriously!