Top 2 Tuesday: Friendship

Today I'm participating in Top 2 Tuesday, hosted by The Undomestic Momma. Today's topic is:

Top 2 Things You've Learned About Friendships

Maybe mistakes are what make our fate... without them, what would shape our lives? Maybe if we had never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love, have babies, or be who we are. After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart... and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away. - Sex & the City

I guess I consider myself as a little bit of an expert in the friendship department. This isn't because I think I'm a great friend (far from it) or that even that I have lots and lots of friends (also not true). However, as a military wife who has bounced all over the country more times than I'd care to admit, I have lots of experience in friend making.

The nature of the military lifestyle is moving. I've been married 8 years, and in that time I've lived four different places. Even when we were stationed in one place for any significant length of time, I still had to deal with people drifting in and out of my life because it was their time to move to another place. It's never been easy to say goodbye, but I've learned a lot of good lessons along the way.

The most important thing in life is your family. There are days when you love them, and others you don't, but in the end they're the people you always come home to. Sometimes it is the family you're born into, and sometimes it's the one you make for yourself. - Sex & the City

#1: "Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same." - Anonymous

If I've learned anything as a military wife, it is that this quote is true. The beauty of friendship, I think, it that friendship sometimes has a season. I have spent a great deal of time in the past feeling heartbroken because friendships ended or people drifted out of my life. It took me a great deal of time to learn that sometimes people only belong in your life for a set amount of time. You never know why someone enters your life, but what we should all do is appreciate the precious gifts that friends can give up. Support, encouragement, love, laughter - these are things we should remember and treasure forever, even when the person who gifts them to us is gone.

She is my friend. My family. My insides. She will be fine because she has to be fine. That's how important she is to me. - Sex & the City

#2: People you've never met in real life can sometimes be the best friends of all.

I'll admit, I've withdrawn a little since our last military move. I used to be very involved in command events and activities with other military spouses. However, I'm just burnt out. We live off base now, and it has become harder and harder to meet new people. I'm so very happy for the "virtual" friendships in my life. My blogger and Twitter friends have been an incredible support to me in the past three years, and I don't know where I would be without them.

Maybe our girlfriends are our soul mates, and guys are just people we have fun with. - Sex & the City

What have you learned about friendship?