I am so blessed.

"You meet people who forget you. You forget people you meet. But sometimes you meet those people you can't forget.Those are your friends."

I don't have many friends, never have. But scarcity only heightens their value - and those friends I have are so precious to me.

The last few weeks has really hit this home for me - nearly all of my friends live pretty far away from me - and I really don't get to see them that often. You get used to almost anything after a while, and when you get a little lonely sometimes it is easier to let yourself forget a little.

I forget how good it feels to share a laugh and exchange ideas - and then a good friend calls me up in the middle of her busy day to remind me. I had forgotten how good it felt to just sit and chat with someone who likes you in spite of yourself - and then a nearby friend drove an hour out of her way on a work night just to spend an evening with me. I even kinda forgot how friends run to the rescue, but the second I asked for advice another friend was there in a flash offering editing help and sightseeing tips. And just to emphasize the point, the moment I sent out an SOS, a friend I haven't seen in years was there in a flash offering to help with my resume. Sure, I could work really hard, and someday repay them for their time, talents, advice and expertise - but what they really gave me, that which is of most value to me, and what I can never repay is the kindness, the thought, their genuine desire to reach out and connect, and the consideration they showed at a time when I needed to be reminded. That is what still touches my heart and makes me wish I could be more like them. "A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg, even though he knows you are slightly cracked."