Friendships

One of the nice things about Christmas is the chance to catch up with friends. After all, the festive season is just not about families. It is about sharing the Christmas cheer with friends as well.

I could count the number of close friends I have on one hand. My wife, however, is much better at accumulating close friends and maintaining those friendships over time. For example, she still has close friends that she worked with thirty-five years ago, and for every workplace, she has worked in since then, she still has two to three friends she catches up with regularly. I admire her ability to attain and maintain friendships over so many years.

Of course, many of my wife's friends have become my friends over the years. We have seen relationships blossom and some fall apart. We have watched their children grow into adults and shared many holidays with them. These friendships have produced many of the happiest moments of life and a few sad ones.

Christmas is a good time of year to reflect on our friendships and cherish them for what they are. They are part of the fabric that makes us who we are.