Friends

Today I have been thinking a lot about friends. I have so many people that I count as friends and each has improved my life and helped me become a better person. Certainly many of them are not featured in these photos. I don't always think to take photos of everyday moments. Here are just a few of the ways that my friends help me become better. 1. One friend gets up at the crack of dawn to walk with me a couple of times each week. I am not the best at fitting exercise into my schedule but I look forward to these walks and our talks. 2. So many friends help me reach my goals...by attending the temple with me, studying and discussing the scriptures with me, gathering with me and my family to study Come Follow Me and cheering me on (and cheering me up) when the clouds overhead seem to darken or I begin to doubt myself or my abilities. 3. So many dear friends have taught with me, helped me refine my teaching, and been so much more than just "colleagues". 4. I have served alongside so many dear friends who have shown by example how to serve with all their heart, might, mind and soul. They have taught me and ministered to me, often without realizing they were doing so. 5. Friends help me to expand my horizons...by sharing their differing beliefs respectfully and listening to mine, by traveling with me to new places, by encouraging me to try new things, by getting me to read books I wouldn't have picked on my own. 6. So many of my friends have just as profound an influence on my children as they have on me! I'm especially grateful for their role in helping me to raise my children.  7.  I am grateful for friends who have a listening ear, who see the best in me even when it's hard for me to see it in myself, who assume the best of me, and who are loyal and kind.
There are so many other ways my friends bless my life...and I definitely need photos of a lot more people...but I am forever grateful for the privilege of being surrounded by the world's BEST neighbors, ward and stake members, colleagues, book club pals...thank you FRIENDS!