The Categories of Friendships

I was listening to the radio the other day and the DJ was talking about the different types of friends. It got me to thinking about friends and how they fit into my life.

First you have strangers. These are the people we have not met but, can potentially be new friends. I like meeting new people because.......well.....because I like people. Every friend we have.......started out as a stranger!

Then, we have an acquaintance. These are the people we know but, not well enough to be a friend. It may be a regular customer at work, the cashier at the local grocery store that we know by name, or maybe a parent of your child's friends. We may have a conversation with them and know a little something about their family but, outside of that you don't know a lot about them.

We have our ball park, band, or activity friends. These are the friends we have because our kids either play ball, or they are in band or take dance together. These are the friends that you sit together at the various activities and cheer on the kids together. We may even go out for a bite to eat after a ball game or practice. We spend a lot of time together but, once that activity is over for the year......we don't see them again til next year.

We have our old childhood friends. These are the friends we had growing up. These are the ones that we may have not seen in years but, we still consider them friends. Some of these childhood friends grow up and move off and we never see or hear from them again but, we still have the fond memories of the friendships we had and still consider them friends. Some of these childhood friends we run in to on occasion and it is fun to see them but, we find out that we no longer have anything in common. There is also the childhood friends who have remained friends to this day. I will discuss them later because they are in a whole other category.

There is another category of friends that is a little harder to define. These are our online friends. These are the people we talk to on an internet forum or in a chat room. It may even be someone that we have gotten to know by reading their blog and swapping comments. Some of these people we may not ever meet and may never know their real names but, we call them friends. I am a member on a local internet forum called Wiregrasslive. I have actually met a lot of the people on this forum and now consider them friends. It is funny because we refer to each other by our screen names. They are little bit of a different kind of people from what you normally see on an internet forum. I will write more about this site on another post.

We have our friends. These are the ones that know us but, maybe don't know ALL of our secrets. We may go out to eat together or get together at an occasional party. We may occasionally talk on the phone or run into each other at a ballgame and sit and talk and catch up.

We have our work friends. These are the people that become friends because we work together every day. We spend more time with our work friends than we do our own family. I am blessed to work with some really great people and yes.....I do consider them friends. We don't always do things together outside of work but, when we do, we have a great time. The girls in my office probably know as much about me as some of my best friends. If you get to work with great people like I do and they become friends.......then you are truly blessed.

We have our best friends. These are the friends that pretty much know every thing there is to know about us. My best friends know my secrets, my dreams and my heartaches. They are the ones I call when I need help and they know that they can do the same. These are the friends that I can say whatever I am feeling and know that I will not be judged. These are the friends that you go shopping with and spend your vacation with. Some of these best friends may be some of your childhood friends and some may be people you have met as an adult and forged a bond with. My best friends are the ones that I talk on the phone with but, not necessarily every day. Our bond is so close that we don't have to be together all of the time but, we seem to have the knack of knowing when one of us needs the other. Our children may be the same age but, even when our kids are grown up, we still spend time together. I am blessed with some really great "best friends".

The last kind of friend is our family friends. Yes, your family can be friends too. I have cousins that I consider friends. My sister in law was one of my friends even before I started dating, and eventually married, her brother. Even though we don't get to see each other as often, we are still friends. Then, I have my sister. My sister is twelve years younger than me but, she is my friend. We don't have to talk every day and when we do talk, it may be only for a few minutes or it may be for hours. We are very different yet, we are a lot alike. We have this weird thing that we sense when the other one is hurting or having a bad day and we know to call and check. We have dreams about each other and get panicky until we can call to make sure everything is alright. Yes, my sister is my friend as well as the best sister in the world. But, of course, she would be.......since I am the reason she is here!

After sitting and pondering this friend thing, I have come to the conclusion that many of our friends may come and go but, each and every one of them have enriched our lives and made us the people that we are today. I have been blessed with so many friends in my life time and I am thankful for each and every one.

Remember.......every time you meet a new person......that person is a potential new friend. Don't close the door on new friendships because God may have sent that very person to you. He may know something you don't.