Friendship

What is a true friendship? I know, such a loaded question. Especially because as humans, we are constantly evolving, changing, growing, and morphing into newer, hopefully better, versions of ourselves. What I might have needed in a friendship in my 20s is profoundly different than what I need now as a 40-year-old woman. Some friends come and some friends go. Some friends are there for the mountaintops and others for the valley lows. Some friendships are seasonal, while others are lifelong. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned, both good and bad, through many types of friendship. Have a Safe Place, But Beware! I remember my younger days of chatting on the land line with a certain friend of mine. We were

I drove upstate to visit my best friend from college this past weekend because she just had her first baby. I couldn’t help but ponder the milestones we’ve shared: graduations, weddings, fur-babies, careers, buying and selling homes, and now…motherhood! Our friendship has felt pretty special from the start, so it got me thinking about what it is that makes our relationship so life-giving… 9 Qualities That Make a Good Friend: 1. Someone who helps carry your load, but doesn’t make you feel like a burden. 2. Someone who knows your worst, but only sees your best. 3. Someone who never makes you feel small, no matter how big they are. 4. Someone who doesn’t flaunt, especially when they know you’re hurting. 5.

One of the great commandments is “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). That works a lot better when you actually know who your neighbors are. Even though Jesus was talking about people beyond your physical next-door neighbor, next door is still a good place to start. But long gone are the days when it was common to bake a plate of cookies and show up on someone’s doorstep to welcome them to the neighborhood or apartment building. Although sweet treats can be a great inroad (I still make something yummy for my students’ last day!), what if your baking skills ended at the Easy-Bake Oven? Or you’d rather not risk that possibly awkward scene at the front door where you shove

A few years ago, I read Gary Chapman’s book, The 5 Love Languages, and have viewed the ways that I give and receive love in all of my relationships very differently ever since. In his book, Chapman lays out five ways that most people both feel loved by others and show their love to others: gifts, physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, and acts of service. When I took the quiz initially to find out what my love languages were, I found that my top love language for both giving and receiving love was quality time. When I wanted to show someone that I loved them and cared about them, I didn’t buy them something (gifts), or hug them (touch), or write

The importance of friendship is immeasurable. As human beings, we need relationship, connections, and support. Although some days we need a little alone time, we really were created for community. Not solitude. A few months ago, I called my best friend to get caught up on all the life happening in her world. She only had a few moments, because well…life. We get busy with our families; hers happens to be pretty big. We get busy with our jobs, and we don’t always have another five minutes to squeeze out of the day. Created for Connection Out of desperation to see and catch up with my friend, my closest confidant, I suggested we meet at 5:45 in the morning to walk the