What It Means To Be A Good Friend

What it means to be a good friend:

Maddie Mo
I have some really good friends in my life.  I have gone through ups and downs with each of them.  But we always get through our problems together and figure it out without lashing out.  My friends and I share things we don't share with our sisters or moms.  That's what makes our relationships special. 

An example of a good relationship is me and my best friend Ashley.  She has been my best friend for eight years.  We live right next to each other and are always hanging out with each other.  Our parents are good friends too. (Which is good!)  We are kind of like a married couple, we kind of have to get in fights and disagree on things to move on.  We have matured throughout all of our fights, and those fights help us find the problems to solve.  Some of our friends have tried to pull me and Ashley apart.  We always can tell when someone is trying to do that.  We have never let that happen.  And we never will. 

We also do a lot of fun things together.  Like soccer.  Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday we have soccer.  We are on the same team, so we see each other a lot.  That also helps our relationship.  There are times when we are really hyper together and we are laughing so hard we pee in our pants and don't even care.  That's the kind of friend I love having. 

Mom
Friendship is one of the most important things in my life (ranking just under God, my husband, and Diet Pepsi).  When I was growing up, I had a tough time with friends--not sure if I was "in" the crowd or not most of the time.  When I went away to college I was able to hand pick my friends (five in particular), and the five of us still meet at a great destination each year (Napa this past fall).

My friendship circle has grown over the years, including neighbors, MOPS pals, and special friends that have come into my life for different reasons.
Being a good friend means putting time into the relationship, loyalty, being vulnerable with the hard stuff, and listening with a compassionate and understanding ear.

I am very very blessed with my friendships.