Friends are some of the best people I have in my life. You experience so many things with these people, maybe things that you wouldn’t experience with family. Maybe some friends have become family to you; I know I’ve got several “sisters” in the friends I have, and even a few “brothers” and “cousins” as well!

I know for me, I’m like my dad when it comes to making friends; he and I don’t know a stranger, it seems. We can meet someone in the grocery store and start talking to them like we knew them for years. I do know, though, what parts of my life to share with true friends, and which parts to share with people who are acquaintances. And an acquaintance doesn’t have to be someone you’ve known for the shortest amount of time; you may connect with someone better in two weeks than you have in two years. So, just be mindful when you think about who your acquaintances and true friends are.

But don’t get me wrong: any acquaintance or friend that I have had or currently have, I do not take for granted. I love each and everyone, even if we’re not as close relationally or physically (distance). And even if we don’t talk like that anymore, I give nothing but love to you as you move forward; maybe you taught me lessons I needed to learn, about myself and about the world around me. Maybe we just naturally grew apart due to the cycle of life. Whatever happened, I hold no bitterness or sadness about it; it’s natural for friendships to go through things.

This post is going to be hard to really highlight all the true friends I’ve got because I’m grateful to say, I’ve been blessed with SO many: people I’ve been able to experience some of the most important events of my life with. People I’ve poured my heart out to and cried with. People I’ve taken trips with, and laughed until my stomach hurt. People I had stimulating and encouraging conversations with that helped me move forward.

And the thing is, I may not speak to all my close friends as much as I used to because of the distance, but I know I can count on them. I know that I’d still vibe with them if we all lived in the same city.

But I must say…

I could talk about SO MANY good friends…y’all know who you are 💙

But I have to highlight one friend, and that’s my HIGH SCHOOL BEST FRIEND, BRIA. I’ve known her for over a decade. I highlight her for several reasons, one major one being that it wasn’t until last year that I realized just how much she taught me as we grew up together.

Since we were in high school, we were together, always, probably laughing as loud as we could. We even went to college together (not planned), but I can’t imagine my college years being as good as they were without her. I’ve got some of my funniest stories with Bria, and they’re not funny because everyone thinks they’d be funny, they’re funny because WE were the ones laughing our heads off 😂 We mostly laughed at each other, and that was something so important I needed to learn as a perfectionist: that it’s okay to laugh at yourself when you mess up, when you’re awkward, when you’re searching for a seat in chapel and end up having to sit next to several of your college professors in the back, and then the hymn that’s being sung asks the very thing you’re both thinking: “Tell me what is your life?”

She not only taught me to laugh at myself, she taught me to love myself. I probably wasn’t the most attractive person to most people back in my high school / college years, but ya know what? I thought I was IT. I loved me some ME, and I didn’t care if people thought I was awkward, poorly dressed, or wayyyy too loud when I was with my best friend (did I mention that that was basically all the time?). I didn’t care if people thought I was weird for laughing at stupid stuff, or loving punk music AND KPOP (which, by the way, I have to say this because now loving KPOP is a cool thing, and I used to get the weirdest reactions about it! I knew it was good music before y’all! JUST SAYING! Y’all probably can’t even name the classic groups and songs. TRY ME! Better yet, try me, my sister and Bria, and we’ll beat you in KPOP trivia! Lol!)

My best friendship with Bria is still going strong TO THIS DAY despite the major distance between us…she lives in Hawaii, y’all 😭 I’m lowkey jealous, and I’m ready for her to come back Stateside so we can at least somewhat afford to visit each other and make more memories, have more laughs. I’m actually gonna talk to her on the phone this Thursday, something we should probably do more often, but I don’t stress over because I know my friendship with her won’t change by distance or even if we don’t text/talk every day. It’s a blessing really; God knew I needed a best friend like her!

I hope you’re remembering to love on your friends this week just as much as your family and significant others. 💗

Do you have a best friend? A best friend group? Who do you call your friends, and who do you call your acquaintances? How can you show them love this week and moving forward?

Mishy 🦋