You've got a friend in me...

You've got a friend in me

When the road looks rough ahead

And you're miles and miles

from your nice warm bed

just remember what your old pal said

Boy, you've got a friend in me

-Randy Newman, You've got a friend in me (from Toy Story)

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, Day #10 - Yesterday, old friends. Today I'm thankful for new friends.

When you get past college age, it can be kinda tough to make new friends. But I've been very blessed to have several new friendships develop recently.

For starters, there are quite a number of my blog followers that I've never met in person. But you've left kind comments and sent positive thoughts our way, and I am beyond grateful. It's a pretty amazing world when you can know so much about people, recognize them by their pictures, follow along in their lives and never actually see them in person.

But beyond those exclusively online connections, I've also developed some stronger in-person friendships lately, and I'm really grateful for it. Last weekend we spent some time with the family of one of Jay's bestest buds. We're already planning for them to be college roommates - at NC State, of course! (Bestest Bud's folks might not agree with that particular educational choice, but we've got 16 years or so to work that out.) We enjoyed a fantastic evening at their house, and the boys could hardly contain their excitement at spending time together. There was NOT ONE cross word, no unwillingness to share toys, no typical toddler wrestling matches. They enjoy a fabulous friendship, and I see lots more time together in our future.

Then, I had lunch yesterday with a colleague who has grown into a dear friend during Jay's illness and recovery. She and I weren't particularly close - more the "Hey, how was your weekend?" kind of co-workers. But when she found out about what we were going through, she started sending me messages of encouragement. Praying for my lil' heart warrior. Praying for me to stay strong. Not a week went by when I didn't get an uplifting message from her, and those messages were like tiny rays of light in a very dark tunnel. It was great to share lunch with her, talking about our kids and pets and laughing.

And Friday, I'm super duper excited about girls' night out with a fellow heart mama. This girl knows what I've been through in a way that few other people can fathom. She's caring and funny and a fantastic blog-writer. I found her through her blog, and e-stalked her for a while. We've only met in person twice, but we understand each other in a pretty unique way through having read each other's blogs for a while. A glass of wine, some chocolate, and some girl talk is just what the doctor ordered for us.

There's always more room in the circle of friends, and I'm thankful to watch mine grow.