Hi, friend!

Warning.  There is nothing gay about this post.  (I'm allowed to do this, right?!)

I have a friend and whenever we greet each other, she always adds the word 'friend' at the end.

"Hello, friend."

"How are you, friend?"

"Good to see you, friend."

She may not even realize that she does it, but it means the world to me.  I don't need any type of confirmation that we're friends, but I love the fact that she still says it to this day.

I've relied on friends when family wasn't readily available.  I moved to a pretty foreign place after graduating college and fortunately, I made friends that became like family.  When I wasn't able to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with my [real] family, these friends were right there to be the perfect substitute.  I don't know where I'd be without them.

Now that I have a friend who calls me 'friend,' it's made me realize how fortunate I am to have wonderful friends in my life.   (Let's see how many times I can cram the word 'friend' into one sentence!!)

I'm now trying to share the wealth and telling my friends how important they are in my life.  And you can give it a shot as well.  Next time you greet someone close to you, add the word 'friend' at the end.  See if their face lights up, or if they smile, or possibly even get caught off guard (in a good way.)  Or if you really want to be daring, you could sing 'The Golden Girls' theme song.  THAT I'd love to see.

Have a good week, friend.