Gratitude Bonus Round 14

I couldn’t really post a single photo, or even a collection of photos for this post, because none of them would really encompass all this particular thing means to me.

Today I am thankful for friends.

I haven’t always had great friends. In fact, I’ve had a lot of crappy friends. Just call me lucky I guess. Ha!

But in recent years, coincidentally around the time where I really got to know and accept myself, I acquired a great group of friends. 

Some who listened ad nauseum to all of my woes while Husband was away, and never once complained or told me to get over it, but instead refilled my wine glass and opened another bottle. And others that to this day barely let a day go by without talking in detail about every happenstance of my (and their) life through gchat. I’ve had friends that built me up, and others I built up. Some that provided me with a much welcomed bit of comic relief, and some that for some crazy reason found me comical, and I love to make them laugh.

We’ve been in South Dakota for a little over six months now. And although we’ve met a number of great people, it wasn’t until the past couple of weeks that I’ve met some that I could see as real friends. Like the type you hang out with outside of work, or military functions, or club events. The type you grab drinks with, or have over for a dinner party.

I really can’t begin to explain how much I’ve missed that connection.

So in the spirit of thankfulness, I’m very thankful for friends old and new, that have not only been the greatest support in every aspect of my life (and continue to be), but also make life worth the craziness. It’s not without the acceptance, dialogue, and love of a friend that the world is effectively processed in my opinion.

“Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”
― Albert Camus

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”
― William Shakespeare

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
― Jess C. Scott, The Intern

“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.”
― Aristotle