My friend called yesterday and wanted me to go Christmas shopping with her about fifty miles away. It was a cold, drizzly day with some snow predicted and I was feeling pretty blah. My first instinct was to say no. I said yes because even though I wasn’t in the mood for running in and out of stores in the cold, I was definitely and always in the mood for hanging out with her. We went and I’m glad. She shopped, I browsed. I spent not one penny. She even insisted on buying my lunch. Got to love a girl like that. lol…We had a wonderful time.
I remember being a little girl in Florida and having two best friends, both male. Although we were very different, we got along wonderfully and always had the best times together. One of my friends was a country boy from a very poor family–a stocky, sturdy little guy with black hair and blue eyes. The other lived in town and his parents were successful to say the least–he was slight, slim with blonde hair and brown eyes. I was somewhere in the middle, my parents were neither wealthy nor poor. Our different backgrounds simply made for a more interesting friendship. I loved these boys and thought we’d be friends forever.
Unfortunately one day, city boy decided I was his girlfriend. Country boy took exception to this and declared in no uncertain terms that I was in fact his girlfriend. I was eight years old and thought them both disgusting. I couldn’t imagine at that age having a ‘boyfriend’. To me having a boyfriend would be like my older sister and her beaus, holding hands, sneaking kisses. YUCK! So, I did the unthinkable. I laughed at them both.
This only made them both more determined to ‘win’ me. As if I were some prize in a turkey shoot. I thought it was hilarious and didn’t take either one of them seriously. For the most part their bickering was good natured and didn’t interfere with our friendship. But eventually it escalated into a huge argument and when I told them both to knock it off, they turned to me and demanded I choose one or the other. I insisted I liked them both the same, which was true. That’s when things got nasty and turned physical. Fist fighting, wrestling kind of nasty. I was appalled, although I was not opposed to a good fight. But these were my best friends and they acted as though they hated each other. I told them I never wanted to talk to either one again.
This stopped the fight, but with one last shove, they shouted they never wanted to talk to each other again. We all went our separate ways and I kept my word by never again speaking to them. Country boy’s mama told me she was sorry about what had happened because good friends were a gift to be cherished. The funny thing is, once I was out of the picture the boys made up and remained friends for as long as I knew them. The break up of that friendship still makes me sad and I’ve never forgotten what that lady said to me.
I’ve lost several good friends from accidents and illness and this makes me hold fast to the ones still in my life both online and off. I cherish them. Although we may have our ups and downs, I try to make sure nothing becomes so big as to cause a permanent break in our relationships. So cherish your friends and if you’ve had a break recently, I hope you can mend it. ❤
December 10, 2014 at 9:01 am
Have you tried to reconnect with the two boys, now men?
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December 10, 2014 at 1:30 pm
No, but if I could remember their last names, I’d sure give it a shot. That would be great fun. Unfortunately too many years between that time and now. Being a child, last names don’t stick the way first names do. Thanks for reading. 🙂
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December 10, 2014 at 10:27 am
I lost a good friend because of something that was said by another friend. We were originally three friends but something happened. Unfortunately my friend went with the other one. I never quite understood what happened but it was painful at the time.
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December 10, 2014 at 1:33 pm
It is very painful, Kate. I lost the relationship with my sister for a reason that I have never known and she refuses to tell me. It hurts. I understand that pain and frustration and I’m sorry you’ve had that happen.
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December 10, 2014 at 10:35 am
What a wonderful story . Something we should all take note of. None of our friends are perfect, but then neither are we. We have to accept their imperfections and appreciate them for who they are.A true friend will be there for you.
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December 10, 2014 at 1:36 pm
Oh, Elaine, you are so right. Nothing and no one is perfect. We must love our friends–warts and all. I blame myself for this break of childhood friendship because of my stubborn nature. Nice to see you here. 🙂 Thanks.
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December 10, 2014 at 10:46 am
Such a sad story, Elizabeth. My mother always told me if you have one true friend in life, you’re blessed.
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December 10, 2014 at 1:38 pm
It was a sad thing, Jill. Your mother is a very wise lady. I am blessed with having more than one and I never forget to be grateful. 🙂
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December 10, 2014 at 8:03 pm
Me too! 🙂
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December 10, 2014 at 11:12 am
I’m grateful to have wonderful, supportive friends, some going back to my childhood. I’ve had serious disagreements with one and ‘broke up’ for a long period of time but we were able to mend our relationship and our still friends today. Thanks for the thoughtful post.
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December 10, 2014 at 11:13 am
and “are” still friends today. 🙂
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December 10, 2014 at 1:42 pm
😀 I do that all the time, Geralyn.
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December 10, 2014 at 1:40 pm
That’s wonderful! It’s a hard thing to mend a relationship, especially after a long time has passed. You did good. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to comment.
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December 10, 2014 at 12:22 pm
Such a lovely and insightful post, Elizabeth. Good friends are more precious than gold.
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December 10, 2014 at 1:43 pm
They certainly are, Cynthia. Hope you’re having a lovely week and thank you so much for coming by and leaving your thoughts. 🙂
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December 10, 2014 at 1:01 pm
This rings so true right now. All my life I have never been one to really keep friends, mainly because I’m a bit of a loner. Now that I have children, I am understanding the importance of friendship. There has recently been a break in my life that has made it more of an effort to keep some of these friendships alive and it has been a whole new experience for me to force myself to be social but this confirms that effort. Thank you.
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December 10, 2014 at 1:47 pm
I’m glad you’re forcing yourself, Marissa. I’m happy with my own company too, but my friends have seen me through some very rough times and I them, so yes, it is worth it. 🙂
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December 10, 2014 at 1:08 pm
My grandmother advise me never to go to sleep on an argument. I must admit I do find staying awake hard.
I’m very slow to temper but unfortunately even slower to cool down so I had a period of 3 years without speaking to one I thought my best friend. We did eventually make it up and have been mates nigh on 40 years now covering the birth of all our children and grandchildren. I think if it’s meant to be, it will be but sometimes effort is required and quite often a bitten tongue.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
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December 10, 2014 at 1:53 pm
😀 I’m just the opposite, David. I have a quick temper, but also very quick to cool down. And I’m working on the quick temper thing. I think as I grow older my temper gets slower and slower to ignite. And that’s a good thing. I’m so happy you mended that friendship. A forty year friendship is something very special. I’ll have to remember the biting my tongue advice. 🙂 ((HUGS))
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December 10, 2014 at 2:30 pm
A lovely post…true friends are like blessings in our lives… they’re precious… 🙂
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December 11, 2014 at 8:36 am
Thank you so much, Maniparna. I agree. True friends are blessings. 🙂
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December 10, 2014 at 9:46 pm
You know men and women, boys and girls, can’t be jUsT friends LOL.
Wanted to wish you a beautiful holiday season, EP. Love your header shot.
No obligation to come over. Be well!
Xxx
Diana
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December 11, 2014 at 9:15 am
lol…Hi, Diana. And yes, I had heard that about JUST friends. 😀 Thank you so much for the header compliment. You must have come here instead of the reader since you saw my header. I will of course be visiting you, not from obligation, but a desire to see what you’ve been doing. It’s a shame my brain can’t keep track of all the blogs I follow without being reminded. I was going to do a post on that soon. Have a beautiful holiday season. ((hugs))
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December 11, 2014 at 8:51 am
I love this post. I had several best friends before and I cherish them a lot but, life is a constant change.We can not hold the pace of the time.
We need to give all the best we have to our best friend while time is still on our side.
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December 11, 2014 at 9:29 am
Thank you for visiting and taking time to leave a comment. I agree that we can’t hold back the tides of change. Friends come and go in our lives and we can but enjoy the time together and cherish the memories left behind. But if we’re very blessed we will meet someone who becomes a lifetime friend. The friend I went shopping with and I have been friends our entire adult lives. (and for us, that’s a long time) Have a lovely holiday season. 🙂
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December 11, 2014 at 3:08 pm
Wise words and a great post, they can be frustrating these friends but the best ones will always come through for you. I am not averse to buying them the odd pint as well because I am right nice!
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December 11, 2014 at 4:30 pm
😀 Some of my friends would say you are at the top of the heap for splurging on the drinks. Thanks for coming by Ste J, and hope your decorating is coming along beautifully.
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December 13, 2014 at 12:18 pm
Wow you did awesome for buying nothing during shopping with your friend. Happy holiday season.
http://attraction3fashion.com
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December 13, 2014 at 8:30 pm
Thanks, I did do good, but oh, it was sooo hard. 😀
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December 13, 2014 at 10:22 pm
A beautiful story/message, Elizabeth. Cherishing friends and loved ones is an act that some people, unfortunately, take for granted — until it’s too late. Your words ought to be heard and practiced by many.
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December 13, 2014 at 10:55 pm
Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Eric. Have a lovely holiday season. 🙂
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December 14, 2014 at 2:47 am
impressive and emotional post, dear Elizabeth… ❤ I do believe that health, love and friendship are the most important treasures of our life… the rest will always follow… 🙂 if you have some spare time and interest, I dedicated 2 posts to friendship:
http://myvirtualplayground.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/complete-friendship-is-universal/
my very best, good-night and have a serene week! friendly thoughts and cheers, Mélanie
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December 14, 2014 at 8:47 am
Thank you, Melanie. I agree those three are so very important. Makes life worth living. Have a very Merry Christmas. 🙂 I had already read the one friendship post of yours, Melanie, but thank you for leaving a path to the other. Loved it. ((HUGS))
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December 30, 2014 at 7:46 pm
I am so grateful for the few good friends I have. With time, I have lots friends, while others have chosen not to support me. I suppose the best friends stay through it all 🙂
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December 30, 2014 at 9:16 pm
Yes, the best and true friends will see you through the bad and good in life. 🙂
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December 31, 2014 at 11:40 pm
This is a timely post for me to read as I recently said yes to getting together with a friend for next week. It’s so easy just to hang out at home, but friendships require an investment of time in order to thrive. Now I’m really looking forward to the visit.
So sorry the friendship with the boys turned out the way it did. My experience with boys is that the ones that are happy just to be friends turn out to be the best of friends.
Blessings for 2015 ~ Wendy ❀
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January 1, 2015 at 10:25 am
You are so right, Wendy. Friendship does take an investment in time and effort, but it’s well worth it. Have a great time with your friend, Wendy. 🙂
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January 5, 2015 at 1:24 am
True friends are golden to me and I deeply, deeply value the friendships that I have in my life….I just pray that my “true/real friends” understand that I don’t always have the energy/health to maintain the contact with them like I’d like to….Enjoyed your post…. 🙂
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January 5, 2015 at 7:38 am
We all have days when our energy or health prevents us from enjoying the things we’d like to do, Lucie. I believe our friends understand that. For two years I rarely left the house and didn’t want anyone visiting. My friends understood and when I was better, there they were. 🙂
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January 7, 2015 at 4:35 pm
Thanks for the timely response…very meaningful in my life today…..☺
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January 6, 2015 at 8:16 pm
Thank you for stopping by my blog and the like. You have a lovely one! Best wishes for a prosperous New Year!
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January 7, 2015 at 12:18 pm
It was my pleasure. Hope 2015 is a fantastic year for you as well. 🙂
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