The best thing about my best friends is that we don't talk much, and we're okay with that
That sounds harsh or sarcastic but it's not, it's really what I appreciate at this stage in life. I appreciate that we are friends when we have time for coffee or time for praying together or time for a weekend away. And I appreciate that in all those in between times, the months where we don't talk and lose track of each other's lives, in those times we are still friends.
It can be months in between. There's no hurt feelings and no pressure. No pouting or excuse making. Because Moms know this: that friendships change over the years and the ones that are meant to last are the ones that you don't have to work hard at, the ones that step aside for your family, pray for your family, and pick up wherever they left off.
That's the beauty of having friends in various seasons of life.
In high school there were unspoken rules about who you could really be friends with. Artificial friendships formed because you were all thrust into the same experiences and forced to endure them together - those aren't typically enduring or endearing relationships.
But real life? Real friends who pray in the in-betweens and who've endured births and deaths and diapers and empty nests along side you - those friends are the real deal.
Sharing five minutes on the writing prompt Friends (which is a ridiculously inadequate amount of time but I'm trying to follow the rules) and linking up with Lisa-Jo and others for Five Minute Friday.
If you're still reading, let me just add that one thing I've learned over the years is that I don't have to be just like my friends in order for our friendship to be true and lasting. Comparison kills, and I never loved a friend because they were just like me. Rather, I love them because they are different from me in ways that I can appreciate and grow from.
People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die. ~ Plato