“Friendship needs no reason!” ― Mary Engelbreit

So many homeschoolers want to connect with others.  I try to help that along with events.  Spring is coming and more and more we'll be out enjoying the weather :)  If you enjoy hiking and the parks, please feel free to contact me and we'll be happy to get out and get some exercise!!!  Anyway, just thought I would share our thoughts on friends and praying this will help others!

This past weekend a friend said this to me, "I need to be a better friend".  Has anyone said this to you?  It got me to thinking….are there people who I need to be a better friend to?

Recently our best friends moved away.  But you would never know it!  Since they have been gone, we have talked on the phone regularly and the girls had a play date with them recently.

At first I was sad, to think of our best friends moving OUT of state!  Then I thought what a wonderful opportunity for us to visit them!  God has nurtured our friendship and we thank him for the blessing of knowing this wonderful family!  We even helped them move :)  They have an open invitation for us to visit and stay with them, they are already planning when we visit a double date, a Moms' makeover day, etc…how AWESOME is that?

God has put people in your path for a reason.  Are they there to help and guide you or is God seeking you to help them?  Only He knows.  This is one story you cannot read the last chapter to see how it ends!  Keep reading page by page and enjoy the adventure He has created you for :)  

So back to the question, how to be a better friend, in no particular order:

1.  Always be there, in good and bad times

2.  Listen and do not judge

3.  Do not be scared to tell each other the truth

4.  Lend a helping hand (improve their life) do not focus on yours - be selfless (BLESS them)

5.  Be genuinely happy for them, people know when you are not

6.  Accept them for who they are, give them space as well

7.  Do not hold grudges over petty things

8.  Show up :)  - you cannot pretend to be there

9.  Go beyond the call of duty

10.  Forgive and apologize

11.  Stay in touch, whether they move or lives change

12.  Do not give up on them in their time of need

13.  Make them feel appreciated

14.  Introduce them to others


What to do with your close friends so you do not drift apart:

Call or meet up with them with/without kids?

Send hand written notes, yes snail mail!  Thanking them for a gift or experience, congratulating them on success, etc.

Email far away friends on a regular basis letting them know stories of your daily life.  They will feel like you are still right there.  Facebook really is just too impersonal for your nearest and dearest friends.  When you post, it is no longer a cherished moment between two friends, but an announcement to everyone?

Remember the milestones of their lives - birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Plan regular getaways, some homeschoolers have done scrapbooking weekends for instance.  But for many homeschoolers this may not be practical, so maybe a coffee date?

Though we are missing our best friends terribly, we celebrate their wins, blessings and successes with them!!!!  ENJOY each other and each moment :)

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."  John 15:13