Friends

It's easy to take our friendships for granted. Friends move away and you lose touch, sometimes even if a friend lives right down the road schedules are too busy to get together. But a true friend, a real friend is someone who will be there for you in your toughest of times without judgement or hesitation.

I am not someone who has one best friend that I go to with all my joys and sorrows, but I have been blessed instead with many friends who mean so much to me in so many ways. I have some childhood friends, I have some childlike friends, I have family who are friends and I have friends who are family. I have been lucky enough to have been taken in by Jade's friends and family and I feel as though I can call them my own. And today, I realized that I have a couple of friends who will be able to understand me through these next months like no one else can. I am blessed to have friends who are going through the same things at the same time as I am. During Jade's last deployment I had great friends around me to help me through the hard days. But, every deployment and every command is different and so it's impossible to relate even if you DO know what it's like. This time will be different... every time the itinerary changes, these women know my frustration, every time communication to the ship goes out, they know my worry and every time the homecoming date changes (and I'm sure it will... at least once), they know my disappointment. Not only do they know these things, they are also feeling them. Having a group of friends that are as diverse as your interests and activities is vital to having someone you can relate to no matter the situation. Thank you to all my friends for all the ways you touch and enrich my life!