Friends for a reason, season, lifetime. . .

"Make new friends, but keep the old;
one is silver and the other gold."

These are lines from a song that I learned nearly three decades ago at 4-H camp and we sang them in a round with the flames of a campfire glowing in the faces of our newfound friends. I still think of these lines from time to time, and as Valentine's Day approaches, I want to dedicate this blog to all my friends--those from my elementary and 4-H days to those of you that I haven't know that long.

Friendship is a funny thing. I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime and I believe that with all my heart. Take for instance my BFFAEM, Cory Jo--she is definitely my lifetime friend. We met when I was in 4th grade at Cottonwood Creek #70, a one-room rural school. She is a year younger and her family moved to the "country" from Chadron. When there are 10 kids in your school, you befriend whoever is closest to your age, I suppose, but Cory and I have kept in touch across the miles, my family's moves and our life's progressions. I was able to go to her wedding several years ago, and with the advent of e-mail and now Facebook, am able to watch her two kids grow up in pictures. We still exchange birthday and Christmas cards, and I always know that I could call on Cory for about anything though we don't talk on the phone and rarely see each other.

Then, I have a closet full (at my parents house) of what I like to call some of the ugliest bridesmaid dresses in America--a reminder of friendships that were for a season of my lifetime. I don't mean to be rude, but I am just stating the facts. And though, I was extremely close to a lot of girls during and right out of college, and honored to stand up for them, I don't think any of these girls would be in my wedding today. As a matter of fact. Some of my closest friends didn't ask me to be in their weddings, because they had a lot of relatives or were having small weddings, and you know I was ok with that too!

Then there are the rest of you! I definitely have formed friendships due to various reasons. I have maintained great friendships from college (yes, all three of them!), livestock judging, advising the junior board for nine years, working at the American Angus Association, and networking through other friends. And with social media, now I'm forming friendships online with people that I haven't necesarily met in person, but we have common interests--writing, belief systems, agriculture.

The toughest part about frienships is that sometimes they fade away. Like the 4-H campfire, the flames of friendship burn down over time. People get busy; lives change; people change. I've really had to come to this realization in the past six months as some of my closest friendships have slipped through my fingers. I've fought long and hard, and if these people ever needed, me I would be there for them, but I don't feel the feelings reciprocated any longer. Aaaahhh...growing pains never end. And then I remember, ". . .one is silver and the other gold. . ."

Happy Valentine's Day, to all my friends!