Friendships

I wasn't going to make many new years resolutions this year, but two really stuck out in my head.

1. Patience

I find I'm lacking in this area, especially when it's been a long day and Jeremy's cranky and then Dave runs around for 10 minutes refusing to lay down to get his diaper changed and into his pajamas. I sometimes feel like I could just scream. On occasion, it might actually happen. I've seen this prayer, maybe it's actually a bible verse, I don't really know, but it often comes to mind. "God give me the patience to deal with my blessings." How perfect is this? What else would my handsome, sometimes cranky husband, beautiful and silly little man, and even the snuggly, sensitive Boo Dog be but blessings. So for tonight I will go to bed praying, "God grant me the patience to deal with my blessings."

I didn't really mean to write about much more than my #2 resolution but I got a little carried away...

2. Be a Better Friend

I'm not sure what this actually means...  I've always thought about this... and maybe you've even heard me ramble on about it... "Friends" don't fit into a nice neat category...

- There are the friends that you are delighted to see once a year but you just never get to catch up more than that...
- Friends that you call once a month to catch up but you never get a chance to see.
- Friends that you see often and take for granted
- Friends that you tell only your happy/funny stories
- Friends that you see a few times a year and pick up like you never missed a day of talking to them
- Friends that you can tell your deepest darkest secrets
- Friends you know will come running the minute you really need them
- Friends you love but you know won't be there those times you need them
- And if you are lucky - you'll have one or two friends that you can share your happiness, sorrows, fears, good moments, embarrassing moments, exciting stories and the random thoughts that float through your head (hello... this post!) and you know they'll be there for you whenever you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to say your husband was out of line and should have NEVER had said it (even if it was really YOU that was out of line)

I guess my task at being a better friend would depend on which category I fit in their "friend categories." Of course, I know I'm not the "Ultimate Friend" for each of my friends... and I can't possibly be there for each friend's important moments or each time they need me. But I guess I'll just aspire to be as good of a listener (actually this should probably be #3 on my resolution list) as I can be, there whenever possible, and make the time to talk and visit that I don't always make.

The best thing is... I know with just a little extra effort to keep my relationships strong - the payoff is great. I mean, how wonderful does it feel when you come back from a girls weekend or get off the phone from a heart to heart with one of your closest friends? It brightens my whole day... and I look forward to many bright days to come.