SPT - National Friendship Week

did you know may 20 - 26, 2007 is national new friends/old friends week?

you've been challenged to answer the questions: who is an old friend? who is a new friend? how long have you known them? what brought you together? have you drifted then reconnected? where do you meet new friends??

I am really struggling with this challenge. I don't know why. My brain is all scattered and nothing coming to mind pleases me. I worry I'll offend. Wouldn't that be exactly the opposite intention of a post about celebrating friendships? Should I be vague or narrow?

As a compromise and a way to direct my thoughts, I've decided to limit my scope to the blogging arena.

I did not start a blog to reconnect with old friends or to make new ones. Both of those things happening were serendipitous.

Not all of my old friends know about my blog. Some do and I think some read. A few have made comments and when they do it's as wonderful as having your yearbook signed.

Jenny C. was the person to introduce me to blogging. I met Jenny twelve years ago. The very first time I met her, I was living in Arizona for the summer and she came with Doug to my apartment. I could tell right away that she didn't like me. I'm sure she didn't love her boyfriend coming to visit another girl. Why did he visit? Because Doug was one of my best friends at BYU. He was my brother's roommate and for the last year, a group of us had spent a lot of time playing practical jokes (remember the secret admirer letters?), cutting a rug with fancy dance moves and watching bad kung-fu movies in the front row of theaters. She and Doug were engaged soon after and married that December. I went down to their wedding reception in Arizona and while I wouldn't say Jenny and I had hit it off, I think she realized that I wasn't a threat. When Jay and I started dating, we were finally able to do some fun things as couples and then we left Happy Valley the same year to pursue medicine in different parts of the country.

If you've read her blog, you know how dedicated she is and the day there isn't a new post is rare. Blogging has created a whole new friendship for us. Before, it was Christmas cards and birth announcements. Now, there are daily comments and I feel a part of her life. I know she is a part of mine. How does that happen? A keyboard, a monitor and modem? Almost everyone has those...but in the masterful hands of Jenny, those three things are as powerful as homemade pie, free babysitting and a friendly arm around a shoulder. I love our new relationship and thank blogging for allowing us to discover our own friendship.

Making new friends through blogging is the biggest surprise to me. I've always been the kind of person that is a better friend to a few than a lot. I've justified it by pointing out my large family, the relationships with my dear sisters and my relationship with my husband, each consuming a lot of my time and energy. I didn't feel like I had the attention span or desire for more relationships than I presently had. The first few comments I received from "strangers" threw me for a loop. Definitely wary of internet introductions, I tended to ignore those first hands of friendship extended to me. It wasn't until a few months went by, and I myself realized how the blogosphere worked, that I even enjoyed the occasional comment from someone new and felt brave enough to make some of my own.

One of these new comments was made by Kelly A. It's obvious from her own blog and the sharp and honest comments she leaves for others, that she is a gem. We had been making comments on each other's blogs for months, but a few weeks ago, we started a series of emails that have become highlights of my day. Have you seen Saturday's Warriors? You know how some things are meant to be? We were meant to be friends. And if it took the phenomenon of blogging for us to realize it, so be it. Score two for blogging.

Those are the specifics. And yet, it goes so much farther beyond what I mentioned. My friendships with my local chums have become deeper and more personal. Even my close relationship with my family has improved. My brother is not known for his phone skills, but through our blogs, we have much more frequent communication with him and Tara. I love it! Getting updates from other bloggers has become an important part of my day. Photos keep me updated in changes with hairstyles, home decorating...even the weather. I feel constantly buoyed by all of these relationships.

So....Blogger...thank you. Thank you for connecting me to all of these people that I cherish.

I always enjoy some Cookies and Milk and Yellow Balloons!

Happy New Friends/Old Friends Week!