Last week we had a memorial service for my Aunt Ann. She was my grandma's sister. She was the funniest lady in the world! We heard lots of fun stories, and had lots of laughs. She had dementia, and her daughter moved her out closer to her in Florida, so we hadn't seen her for a couple years. I was so glad we got to have some sort of send off for her, since we never really got to say goodbye.
Anyways, in honor of Aunt Ann, we watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" that night. Aunt Voula is like her twin! Actually, my mom's side of the family- Grandma Mamie's family is like the duplicate of that family- big, happy, loud, loving people, just not Greek, but Yugoslavian. Haha!
Well, there's a part in the beginning where Toula is talking about being a "swarthy 6 year old, with side burns" and not sitting with the cool kids at lunch. Later in the movie, she goes back to school and sits with the "cool kids" at lunch, with her totally non-Greek sandwich. I get such a kick out of this movie, it's so real!
It made me think about friends and friendships over the years, and how they can really make or break you. One of my cousins just graduated from high school yesterday, and one of her posts about the happy day talked about how she learned the importance of good friends.
I've been blessed with some of the greatest! I could make a list of the girls and women that have become the ones I turn to when I need a pick-me-up or to tell them my next awkward story or to laugh with or to cry with. They are few in number, but gigantic blessings in my life.
I've also gone through lots of time where I didn't really feel that I had friends. I struggled with friends in my ward- congregation- while I was in high school. We were friends at church, but there was a group of them that were really mean. Now that I'm grown, I see that I became stronger because of them, and I'm thankful for the lessons I learned. I remember when Facebook first was created, it had been some time since high school, and I saw them on there, so I sent them friend requests. It had been years, I didn't hold any bad feelings for them. So, we all were Facebook buddies, and one day one of them had written a note- back when people did that 😊- and she wrote about what fun she had in high school, and all of those people that would get together on Friday nights and hang out. I was one of them that participated, but she listed everyone in the group, but me. I felt hurt, again, and it was something so little that didn't even matter.
I don't know how adulthood is for all of you, but who has time for tons and tons of friends?! I know there are some that have those kind of bonds. For example, my grandma and grandpa have had the same group of friends since elementary school, for some of them. They all married, and then the couples always did things together. Now they're old, and some have passed away, but they still get together every Wednesday to play Five Crowns! How amazing is that!
When I first started attending MidSingles activities, I'd been so busy with work, helping take care of my grandma through dementia, and other things, that I didn't have much of a social life going on. I had other things to focus on, and then Grandma died. My whole world changed that day. I knew that I needed to start focusing on meeting people. I needed to be social. As is so popular to label yourself currently, I'd say I was an extreme introvert. I don't know if you could find someone more introverted than me. Then I was asked to lead this large group of single people in the church, and I had to talk to people. I can't even tell you how hard it was, and how every time I had to get in front of people, and talk over the pulpit, I had to pray my whole drive to Centerville- about 20 minutes- and then pray before each time I got up, that I would make complete sense, and not say dumb things. It really didn't take too long to feel comfortable.
I was blessed to meet tons of people! I created a ton of events on Facebook, so people knew my name, which made it so much easier for me to be able to talk to them when we'd meet. However, with my busy-ness of all of the activities, I didn't really get to know many of those hundreds of people very well, because I had a job that I could hide behind.
Well, when I went through a rough patch in my life, I needed to find new people to be friends with. Not that any of those that are forever friends aren't a part of things, they are. I just needed new people and new experiences. So, I prayed about it. I prayed for a long time. There are/were days when all I wanted was someone to send a text or plan something. I was always planning huge events, that I got tired of having to always plan. Then my ward split, and a very small amount of us left this gigantic congregation, and were put in a really small congregation- really small! I've been able to get to know some of the greatest people! I have awesome new friends! I still struggle with feeling dumb and out of place, and I pray that I'll make sense. I've also been on a lot of medication for trigeminal neuralgia within the last year, and allergies, and so my tongue sometimes is slower than my brain, so I get self-conscious about that.So, I still have insecurities, but I don't let them define me.
*Feel free to share!*
Anyways, in honor of Aunt Ann, we watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" that night. Aunt Voula is like her twin! Actually, my mom's side of the family- Grandma Mamie's family is like the duplicate of that family- big, happy, loud, loving people, just not Greek, but Yugoslavian. Haha!
Well, there's a part in the beginning where Toula is talking about being a "swarthy 6 year old, with side burns" and not sitting with the cool kids at lunch. Later in the movie, she goes back to school and sits with the "cool kids" at lunch, with her totally non-Greek sandwich. I get such a kick out of this movie, it's so real!
It made me think about friends and friendships over the years, and how they can really make or break you. One of my cousins just graduated from high school yesterday, and one of her posts about the happy day talked about how she learned the importance of good friends.
I've been blessed with some of the greatest! I could make a list of the girls and women that have become the ones I turn to when I need a pick-me-up or to tell them my next awkward story or to laugh with or to cry with. They are few in number, but gigantic blessings in my life.
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| This is Jill & Me from back in the '90s! We've been friends since we were 7. We live completely different lives, and live across the country from each other, but I know she's there from me, whenever I need her, and I hope she feels the same about me! |
I've also gone through lots of time where I didn't really feel that I had friends. I struggled with friends in my ward- congregation- while I was in high school. We were friends at church, but there was a group of them that were really mean. Now that I'm grown, I see that I became stronger because of them, and I'm thankful for the lessons I learned. I remember when Facebook first was created, it had been some time since high school, and I saw them on there, so I sent them friend requests. It had been years, I didn't hold any bad feelings for them. So, we all were Facebook buddies, and one day one of them had written a note- back when people did that 😊- and she wrote about what fun she had in high school, and all of those people that would get together on Friday nights and hang out. I was one of them that participated, but she listed everyone in the group, but me. I felt hurt, again, and it was something so little that didn't even matter.
I don't know how adulthood is for all of you, but who has time for tons and tons of friends?! I know there are some that have those kind of bonds. For example, my grandma and grandpa have had the same group of friends since elementary school, for some of them. They all married, and then the couples always did things together. Now they're old, and some have passed away, but they still get together every Wednesday to play Five Crowns! How amazing is that!
When I first started attending MidSingles activities, I'd been so busy with work, helping take care of my grandma through dementia, and other things, that I didn't have much of a social life going on. I had other things to focus on, and then Grandma died. My whole world changed that day. I knew that I needed to start focusing on meeting people. I needed to be social. As is so popular to label yourself currently, I'd say I was an extreme introvert. I don't know if you could find someone more introverted than me. Then I was asked to lead this large group of single people in the church, and I had to talk to people. I can't even tell you how hard it was, and how every time I had to get in front of people, and talk over the pulpit, I had to pray my whole drive to Centerville- about 20 minutes- and then pray before each time I got up, that I would make complete sense, and not say dumb things. It really didn't take too long to feel comfortable.
I was blessed to meet tons of people! I created a ton of events on Facebook, so people knew my name, which made it so much easier for me to be able to talk to them when we'd meet. However, with my busy-ness of all of the activities, I didn't really get to know many of those hundreds of people very well, because I had a job that I could hide behind.
Well, when I went through a rough patch in my life, I needed to find new people to be friends with. Not that any of those that are forever friends aren't a part of things, they are. I just needed new people and new experiences. So, I prayed about it. I prayed for a long time. There are/were days when all I wanted was someone to send a text or plan something. I was always planning huge events, that I got tired of having to always plan. Then my ward split, and a very small amount of us left this gigantic congregation, and were put in a really small congregation- really small! I've been able to get to know some of the greatest people! I have awesome new friends! I still struggle with feeling dumb and out of place, and I pray that I'll make sense. I've also been on a lot of medication for trigeminal neuralgia within the last year, and allergies, and so my tongue sometimes is slower than my brain, so I get self-conscious about that.So, I still have insecurities, but I don't let them define me.
Through all of this, I'm so thankful for new friends! I'm thankful for old ones, and I'm thankful that I can be friends with so many different people, with so many different qualities. I hope that if you were in need of a friend, that you know that I'm here, and I'd be happy to be your friend! Reach outside of yourself, and be that friend that someone needs. You can make a world of difference!
*Feel free to share!*
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