Friendships...

This quote turned up on the Two Fat Expats Facebook page the other day...and I just had to "like" it. As someone who has spent the last 10+ years living away from her family - this just rings so true to me. 

We've had to depend on our friends for so much that I can't imagine a world without them. 

It started in Wisconsin with friends who helped watch our children, shared holidays with us, or took long car trips with us halfway across the country and listened to my children rant on about going to HuHot when the only thing in sight was a Burger King. 

Or in Iowa, where there we surgeries, emergency trips to the hospital (because life with two boys has a lot of emergency room visits), fun nights spent hanging out at Group Therapy, along with tearful goodbyes as we moved again.

And of course, Malaysia. Who can forget friends in Malaysia? There were weekends away, morning workouts endured in the heat and humidity and a busted patellar tendon that required the frantic call to a friend because I didn't know how to dial 911. Thankfully, she did. 

And now, Warsaw. We have friends who direct us to where we can get the eldest's forehead stitched up. Or, give us big hugs after the holidays. Or, confirm your suspicions that your son has his first "girlfriend" - whatever that means in the 5th grade.

Some of these things are so small in the grand scheme of life. Really? Is a surprise cup of coffee an indicator of friendship? But, yes...it is. If that person went out of her way to bring it to you...it is. Or a text message or email? Yes. These things can be more of an indicator of friendship than you realize. 

And other things are just huge. I'm not quite sure how we would've survived life in Malaysia when Blaine was in a cast and not mobile without our friends. 

And each summer, I return back to Upstate New York and I'm lucky to spend time with those friends who I've known the longest. And while a year or more has passed since I've seen them each year, I know I can count on them if I needed anything...anything at all.

So...thank you friends. New friends, old friends, close friends, distant friends...thank you.