By Yavonda Chase

When I first heard that bounty was the topic for June, I immediately started thinking about all of the blessings in my life. I thought about my wonderful husband, my beautiful daughter, the rest of my slightly crazy, but always supportive family, my new job that I really enjoy and my great friends.

And I was thankful.

Then I wondered how I was ever going to choose one thing out of all of those blessings to write about.

But then this weekend happened, and this post started to write itself.

I think one of the (not-so-fun) truths of growing older is that friends often move away. If you’re lucky, they only move an hour or so away. Unfortunately, I never seem to be that fortunate. My friends’ moves are typically more of the “I now live more hours away than you can think about driving in one day with kid in tow” variety.

And so, when they come back into town, it is a treat.

This weekend, I was truly blessed. Not one, but two of my longtime friends returned to town. Since they were only here for a few days, we packed as much togetherness in that time as possible. As I, and other local friends, all gathered together to see these friends, I was reminded of how much of a blessing friendship is.

Sometimes it is so easy to forget or take for granted our friends, especially the ones we rely on the most. But when they no longer live just down the block from you or share the desk next to yours, you realize how much you depend on them to just be there.

And while Facebook and email are great for keeping in touch with your friends, it just isn’t the same as sushi lunches or nights out with the girls. It doesn’t hold you when your heart is breaking because of a death of a loved one or hug you with joy when your heart is full because of a promotion at work and the graduation of your child from Kindergarten. Social media is a cold substitute for the human contact of good friends.

So this weekend, I reveled in all of my friendships – the friends who have moved away and the friends who are still here with me. I laughed too much; I ate too much; I probably drank too much; and I just enjoyed being with my wonderful friends.

The Bounty of Friendship is one of life’s greatest blessings.

Arkansas Women Bloggers member Yavonda Chase writes about life, love and everything else at SimplyYavonda.com. She is a wife and mother who considers her daughter to be her greatest accomplishment. She was born in Kentucky and still cheers for the Kentucky Wildcats, but has lived in Arkansas for 30 years and proudly calls Central Arkansas home.

Blog: www.simplyyavonda.com

Twitter: @YavondaChase

Instagram: @Yavs

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