Started this blog awhile ago, but never got back to finish writing it. It was a toss up as to what topic I was going to write about, whether it was friends or family, both being a very important thing in my life, so I chose the following:


My Friends I call Family

"A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you for who you are."

I've always been one of those friends who is always there to listen to other peoples problems, but I try not to bore them with all my little life's tragedies. I feel like I can deal with most of what I've been dealt, and my goal is to see other people happy.  I'll make them smile or laugh when they are feeling down.  I'll give them some advice to hopefully help them see another way of looking at things. I'm also good at giving hugs and good at cheering people up. I treat others the way I want to be treated. I'm not perfect, but I do my best to treat my friends with respect and try to be there for them through everything in their life.

I've met some truly amazing people and friends throughout my life. (and one not so much). But, I do have so many wonderful memories of spending time with each and every one of them.

Way back when I was younger, from Kindergarten to Grade 4, I had a really hard time fitting in with other kids, mainly because I looked different. Lets face it, little kids can be very cruel! But, I did manage to struggle through my early childhood school years. In grade 4, we moved to a new house and I started at a new school, where I continued until Grade 8. Life during those years seemed so much better than before. As children grow up, they seem to mature and be a little more accepting, understanding and compassionate toward others who are "different".  I made some of the best friends there that anybody could ever ask for. I captured so many great memories hanging out during school time and after school with them. Rollerskating, hopscotch, birthday parties, playing at the park, skating, etc...Life seemed great!

Highschool, ugh!!!  Thank goodness for some of my elementary school friends, because the next 4 years was the worst. My Mom & Dad were going through their seperation, so this was a time when I needed friends the most. Some friends branched off to meet other people, but a handful of us still chummed together. I met alot of people in highschool, but didn't go out of my way to get really close to them because life was just so overwhelming with the family issues plus all the stress of schoolwork. But, I look back now and wish I could have had the chance to hang with these new people outside of school, because from what I see of them now, looks like I missed out on getting to know some really amazing people. Although, I did manage to meet a couple of really amazing guy friends. I met one through a job I had in highschool, and the other I met at a rollerskating rink. Thank goodness for these two friends, it made home-life seem not so bad most days. They were always there to listen and they made days when I was feeling dull, seem so much brighter. Seriously, looking back, I owe these guys everything! They are two of my truest friends ever.

Once highschool was over, people seemed to branch off, once again. I kept in contact with a few of them still. Unfortunately, at that point I should have cut ties with one in particular. Our friendship for many years was always up and down. Her jealousy of what I did, what I had, what I wore, etc...was more than I could handle most days. Her behavior was beyond peculiar. But of course, me not wanting to stir up shit, always put up with her crap.   One example, she declined to be my maid of honor in my wedding party and
decided not to talk to me for a couple years later because she had nothing going on in her life. A few years later after she had quit talking to me, she was now married and called me up. We'd get together as couples, but because she was still so insecure and jealous, I wasn't allowed to sit in the same room with her husband, or allowed to talk to him, so we usually had to be in different rooms to visit. Weird! To make a long story short, finally my breaking point, was when she got caught being unfaithful to her husband, not only did she turn the story around and tried to make him look like he was a cheater, she then said that she had a suspicion that I was flirting with him too. Wow, this was one crazy bit#h! Needless to say, she got one nasty email from me about how she treated me over the years, and how she really had issues that she needed to get professional help with.

Fortunately the one good thing that came out of this one bad experience is that I'm learning who your real friends are, and how to walk away from situations like these. I still have some of the most truly amazing friends in my life from my past, plus I have all the wonderful memories of my friends from my childhood, plus  a few new dear friends that I've met along the way. Sometimes we don't always get together as often as I would like, but we can always pick up where we left off. We understand each other, we believe in each other, and we accept each other.
"FRIENDS ARE THE FAMILY WE CHOOSE FOR OURSELVES".