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Monday, March 17, 2014

The value of friendship

I have been very blessed with wonderful friends throughout my life. I have several friends in my hometown that I remain close to even though I haven't lived in state for 9 years. They are my sounding boards and {thankfully} they have never given up on me through all my various stages of life. I have a couple college friends that truly helped me discover who I was. With them I didn't feel the need to agree with all of their fashion, music, entertainment, or social choices. But we were still {the best of} friends despite our differences. (<- ok, honestly, those differences were far lesser than our similarities. But in high school I always felt the need to "fit in" and do what was popular. In college I wore what I liked, I wasn't ashamed to admit my favorite music group was/is Backstreet Boys, and if I wanted to just stay in my room instead of going out then that was ok. And these friends still loved me) During our newlywed years in Virginia I met a good number of friends through work and have been so pleasantly surprised with those relationships. They continue to grow though we are now miles apart. They are some of the dearest friendships I have and I am so thankful that I have the relationships a chance. Lastly, army friends. The army can be a wonderful community, but it is hard to find good, quality friendships. What I mean by that, is friendships with people who are truly like you and not just people who you're thrown together with because you're an army family so by extension you have a lot in common--- rarely te case. At our first post, Fort Sill, I was blessed with some amazing friendships. I am so sad that our time there was so short because I have yet to connect with other women here at Fort Campbell on the same level as my Fort Sill friends. But, I know it is possible so I will keep looking! 

I am thankful for text messaging because I am not a huge fan of talking on the phone. I am thankful for Facebook so I can stay connected with changes in my friends lives. It seems impersonal, but that is social interaction nowadays. And it fits. 

I have been feeling a little glum lately because Daniel's birth is fast approaching and since he is our second baby we don't get baby showers. No, it is not important to receive gifts when having a baby, but it does add to the excitement. It shows that someone shares in your joy and anticipation. 

Today I received Daniel's first gift in the mail! It was a complete surprise and I almost cried when I opened it. It is from one of my dear friends from Fort Sill, AnnsLee. It was perfect timing because I have been slightly out of sorts recently due to pregnancy pains, restless nights with Jackson, some personal issues, and loneliness. It was such a breath of fresh air. This box told me that someone was thinking of me and even if we are hundreds of miles apart, our friendship remains true and strong. 


I opened it and inside was an adorable onesie with kitties in top hats, a cute set of socks, and a little baby swimsuit. I has just been browsing swimsuits for Daniel because we never had one for Jackson when he was an infant. I decided not to buy one because it seemed frivolous. But we do plan to have a kiddie pool in the backyard this summer so I will definitely use it! I love this little suit! It is adorable and so tiny! 


I am so thankful for my friendship with AnnsLee. I am so thankful for her thoughtfulness. I hope that someday we are stationed together again or at least within a couple hours of each other so we can visit! 

I have been so blessed with solid friendships throughout my life. I continue to hope that as I meet new friends here I will find someone I can really connect with. I have met some wonderful ladies here and our friendships are growing, but it is at a different level of friendship than my closest friends. That is certainly better than not knowing anyone. I do hope and pray that I can find a kindred spirit here at Fort Campbell to help me pass the next few years. Good friends are hard to come by when you move and start over, but when you find them they are pure gold. 

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