Friends are the Bacon Bits in the Salad Bowl of Life

I woke up in a super-mushy mood this morning. I must need a hug or something.

"A new friendship is like an unripened fruit - it may become either an orange or a lemon"~Emma Stacey

"The death of a friend is equivalent to the loss of a limb."~German Proverb

"Even if we never talk again after tonight, please remember that I am forever changed by who you are and what you meant to me"~Chasing Amy (movie)

"It is better to be in chains with friends , than to be in a garden with strangers."~Persian Proverb

"When you're standing at the crossroads And don't know which path to choose, Let me come along cause even if you're wrong I'll stand by you" ~The Pretenders

"Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend's forehead."~Chinese Proverb

"I never had better friends than the friends I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?" ~Stand By Me (movie)

"Friends are the siblings God forgot to give us."~Unknown

Let me tell you about my work friend. When she came to work in my department (that I have since left), we got to be really good friends, really fast. It was kind of crazy. You know how everyone has that one friend (or in my case three) that they can be mean to, or call names, or basically abuse? This girl is/was one of those friends. We used to get together once a week for dinner, we would talk and laugh and cause trouble. It was so fun, and by far the highlight of my week. There was a time when we both let our guard down, and evil (yes, evil) came around and manipulated us. We were both mortified and humiliated, and basically gave each other about two years of space to recover from this.

It's been a long two years, but not that long. She has since gotten married to this really great guy and had a beautiful baby girl. I had been in a really great relationship, and have found the path that God wants me to take. It's kind of amazing what kind of growth a person experiences in two years. We have reconnected recently. And I find myself in awe of what an amazing woman she has become. She has gone from an angry, frustrated girl to a strong, loving woman who is determined that she is going to have a good life for herself and her daughter. I really admire this about her.

Side note: It's funny how you see the people around you achieving things that you thought you once wanted... I wonder if I would do marriage and kids with this much grace. I have a hard time sitting still, and I am not sure that I wouldn't get bored. Of course, marriage and kids are what I wanted when I thought that I was going to be in a relationship where marriage and kids were inevitable. Now... eh.

Another good friend of mine is moving away tomorrow. She got this really great job, and I don't think that I realized how much I was going to miss her until we started making dinner plans for tonight.

Anyhow, I just wanted to give thanks for my friends today... new and old. You guys have been there for me a lot in the past few months. I wanted you to know that I love you, and that I thank God for you everyday.