as I age, I’m discovering more and more how valuable and vital my relationships are.

I deeply love my “blood” family and am so thankful to have them—especially at this stage in my life. and I am grateful for my romantic relationship and all the security and affirmation and love it provides me every day.

similarly, I love my “extended” family—dubbed fRamily—who have become just as real and kin as my blood family. this post is for them.

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
(Proverbs 27:17)

if relationships were possessions, which they are not, they would be among my most precious, right up there with memories, offspring, and movie ticket stubs from every movie I’ve ever seen.

ok I’m not a hoarder, really.

but I love my friends! and I do not hoard them—I share them with anyone because who doesn’t need friends?!

oh my gosh we laugh so much, we drink swirls so much, we paint and redecorate and thrift shop and eat Tex-Mex!

and along the way, we make each other better people.

besides the swirls part, I think this is the most telling attribute of our relationships.

each of my friends brings something unique into the relationship we have with one another. I rather feel we are bound by a positive outlook on life (if not always positive in our behavior at all times) and the positive energies we share. and as I’ve worked purposefully to be a person of positivity–eliminating negative self-talk, negative relationships, negative speech (except regarding the Tea Party and their ilk)–I’ve also found that the more negative energy a person projects, the less likely they are to be drawn to positive people; sad really—because from my vantage point, sourness can most certainly be counteracted by a sunnier disposition.

that’s not to say my friends—myself included—are always positive minded. we are ugly on occasion. we say hateful things. we get crossways now and then.

but by-in-large, we speak the truth, in love, to each other. we share experiences that provide lessons and blueprints to each other about how to become a better person. and we are generally honest with each other.

ergo:

just last night, in an attempt to be funny, I said something really hateful about someone.

not one of my better moments (but it was funny!). immediately, one of my friends pulled me aside and called me out for it. not in a scolding, ugly way—but in a way that would help me grasp that I was better than that.

that’s trust right there–the hallmark of a solid friendship.

it’s not always the easiest part but it’s deeply valuable.

that’s what we do with each other: part counselor, part confidant, part ass-kicker when needed.

oh, and part stylist, too.

my friends inspire me.
they are not perfect people, nor am i.
but they make me a better human.
and they are treasures that no moth, no corrosive agent can destroy.

too bad my ticket stubs can’t be so protected.

At the risk of and apologies for excluding many friends, here are a few of the smiles of my fRamily