Are friends as important as family?

Family are given to you but friends you get the opportunity to choose.

Family often love you unconditionally and stay with you throughout your life.

Friends often stay for a period in your life and then drift away. However I have noticed really close friends stay for the duration.

Some friendships are as close and as strong as a blood tie. They can be based on a common interest or less obvious things like the same sense of humour, life values or the joy of giving and receiving.

The picture of the three flowers represent me and my two closet friends.

• I am the pink orchid on the right.
• Sue, the flower in the middle is a lovely vibrant red as she loves being with and helping people to feel safe, secure and happy in their lives.
• Jan is the flower on the left. She is tall, slim and gracious. Always positive about life and living, she encourages us to be our best selves and to enjoy life.

Sue is often the link person between Jan and me. In fact she introduced me to Jan. We met when we were teenagers and were discovering boys….. We became firm friends and have always laughed a lot and had fun. Together we have been young wives, mums, pursued careers and now we are waiting to become grandmas.

Nothing has changed the closeness of our friendship in the 40 years we have known each other.

If you look closely at the flowers none of them are perfect. We have each had our challenges but we have laughed and cried our way together through them.

Jan and I were unexpectedly widowed in our early 40s while our children were still quite young. Sue was there for us being our rock when we felt there was nothing in life to laugh about.

I am grateful for my friends and thank them for accompanying me through the journey of life. I feel we are true spiritual friends and we will be together always.

Hit comment and tell me your story of friendship.