Mom stopped her 2 year old daughter at the door, the girl's fingers on the knob. "Crystal, where are you going?"
The little girl turned around. "Mom!" She threw both hands down, exhasperated. "I have to play with my friends!"
FRIENDS!!!!
Can we talk too much about the importance of good friends? The best ones inspire us to do better, to be better, to reach for our greatest potential. The bad ones drag us into a pit of failure.
I have been blessed with an overabundance of amazing friends. Many of you are on the blog-o-sphere with me. Some of you aren't. I can't say too much good about the awe-inspiring people who've stood by my side through difficulty and joy: my incredible husband, my children, my parents, brothers and sisters, inlaws, my Holy Cheesers, Melanie, Valerie, Jen-Jen, Eliza, Amy, Krista... The list might never end. I count each and every one of them as a special godsend.
The more people I come to love, the more my heart expands. In their successes, I find happiness. In their sorrows, I find a place of deep and abiding compassion. Mom thought me a little over-dramatic at two years old, but I think as a child, I understood something quite paramount: happiness comes from being invested in other's lives. Joy comes from the relationships we develop.
Are you that friend--the one who lifts others up and helps them to see the good they're accomplishing? What fabulous friends have you found through the years, and have you told them how much you appreciate them lately?
The little girl turned around. "Mom!" She threw both hands down, exhasperated. "I have to play with my friends!"
FRIENDS!!!!
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| Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
The more people I come to love, the more my heart expands. In their successes, I find happiness. In their sorrows, I find a place of deep and abiding compassion. Mom thought me a little over-dramatic at two years old, but I think as a child, I understood something quite paramount: happiness comes from being invested in other's lives. Joy comes from the relationships we develop.
Are you that friend--the one who lifts others up and helps them to see the good they're accomplishing? What fabulous friends have you found through the years, and have you told them how much you appreciate them lately?
I have more digital friends than real-life ones, but to me it doesn't matter. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome. It works for me. I'm probably 50/50.
DeleteI'm an introvert who gets extroverted if I'm given ample time to be an introvert. But whatever. I really like this peppy post, Crystal, especially the part about finding happiness from being invested in other peoples' lives.
ReplyDeleteIt's true, right?
DeleteLove your post and your site. I am a compulsive creator and I'm the happiest when I'm in the process. I also love cheese. Friends for Life!
ReplyDeleteWahoo! I love new friends.
DeleteLove your optimistic outlook. Friends are critical to one's well-being on so many levels. I also feel blessed by my friends.
ReplyDeleteNothing but sunshine and cheese, eh?
DeleteFriendships really are the joys of life. It takes time to nurture them, but the payoffs are so fabulous. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe payoffs are forever, if done right. :)
DeleteIt's just great to be able to share things with people. Friends can spur you on and it's great to give that back, too.
ReplyDeleteI know. Can you imagine life without anyone to share your triumphs & successes?
DeleteHi Crystal: I'm actually Kathy S. Collier-Mehl I was born a Collier and use my maiden name because everyone slaughters my German married name Mehl (Pronounced Mel)
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to meet another Latter Day Saint and a Collier. Nice Blog.
ReplyDeleteYay! Btw, I pronounced your married name correctly in my head. Cheese for me!
DeleteOh, I've met some incredible people through blogging. And most I'll never meet in person, but they are still very important to me. I want them to succeed so I can celebrate with them. Cheers to friendships!
ReplyDeleteSeconded.
DeleteHey Crystal. Thanks for wandering by my site and commenting, much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I thought you might like this little cheese recipe. Take a whole Camembert and slice the top rind off. Put it in a flat bottomed bowl the same size if you can maybe with a little bit around the edges. Throw in a splash of white wine. A strong Chardonnay is best and season with thyme and rosemary and some black pepper and a pinch of salt. Get a saucer or plate to cover and put in an oven on low heat for about twenty minutes. Take out of the oven and serve immediately with crusty bread to dip into the gooey awesomeness and more good Chardonnay. My good lady wife and I discovered this about six months ago and its now a staple in our house at least once a fortnight. Great for light suppers with good company. I may be telling you something you have already discovered, but when I saw the cheese thing, I had to tell you for fear of you not knowing and leaving some of the cheese universe that you love so much unknown to you and that would be sad.
Rock on,
W.
It is possible to get bakeware the same size as a camembert just for this purpose. We went and bought one. You could do it in the wooden cartons they sometimes come in, but wood in ovens is never a tremendous idea and depending on the thickness of the rind, it could leak a bit too.
ReplyDeleteRight. Weirdness has happened. I posted a thanks for wandering by my site just now with the following cheese related recipe and it disappeared when I replied to it with the comment above. Curses!
ReplyDeleteSo, here is the cheese thing.
Take a whole Camembert and slice off the top rind leaving the sides and bottom on. Then find a bowl around the same size and height with a flat bottom if you can. insert camembert. Score the top and add a splash of good Chardonnay, about a quarter glass. Then season with rosemary, thyme, a little salt and pepper. cover the bowl and put it in an oven on low heat for about twenty minutes. Serve in the bowl immediately with crusty bread to dip into the gooey awesomeness and more good Chardonnay. Brilliant for light suppers with friends.
I might be teaching you to suck eggs, but I couldn't go away not telling you this if you didn't know, thusly leaving a part of the cheese universe unexplored and unknown to you. Not good.
Rock on,
W.
LOL. Awesome. Thanks.
DeleteI am blessed with great friends, don't know how I'd get by without them!
ReplyDeleteAmen to that!
DeleteFriends make your life better, and good friends are worth more than gold. I'm so blessed to have a slew of awesome people in my life and that includes my blogger friends. :)
ReplyDeleteYou know it! *patting self on the back*
DeleteIf you are a good friend, you'll have good friends.
ReplyDeleteJan at Website
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I married ridiculously young (18) and had my first child 11 months later, followed quickly by three more. One of my only regrets about those choices is that I have been so busy with my commitments to my family (including working full-time for fourteen of the twenty-six years) that I have failed to make time for friendship. I do have a few close friends who I've known since high school, but I do not have that sort of bond with anyone I've met since. Your post was a compelling reminder of what I'm missing. Time to work on changing that.
ReplyDelete