In Conclusion: 31 Days of Friendship

“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Even though I've written about friendship for an entire month, I feel as if there is more to say. It's interesting that on September 30, I wondered if I'd have enough for 31 full days--and now that it's October 31 I still have several other stories and topics I haven't even touched.

As I conclude my series, I'd like to offer a list the characteristics of a good friendship.

What are the characteristics of a good friendship?

• Trustworthiness
• Kindness
• Sense of Humor
• Loving and Caring Heart
• That certain "Je ne sais quoi" that every friendship has that no one can describe--chemistry, connection, something like that.

I am absolutely grateful for each and every friend I have had in my life. The good friends have made my life richer. The bad friends have taught me valuable lessons in friendship and strengthened my walk with Christ. The friends for a season were there when we both needed each other, and the memories are precious. The online friends I have pop in and out of Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and blogs with sweet reminders of love and support and encouragement.

If you're my friend in real life, thank you for reading this blog. I know I'm not always the easiest person to be a friend to, and I'm grateful for every single one of you.

Thank you for reading my #write31days series this month! To read the introductory post with a list of every post in the series, click here.

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And a postscript:

If you are like Melanie Shankle and have your friends geographically close by, you should check out her book Nobody's Cuter Than You. However, if you're like me and just moved (again) to a new town where all your friendships are new and your best friends are far away, you might feel things like jealousy and envy and sadness while reading her book and it may make you feel sad instead of happy. (At least, those are the feelings I had when reading her book, which is big on in-person interaction and not as much through the computer.)
Nevertheless, if you're a fan of Melanie Shankle and you enjoy memoir and true-life stories, this is a good book for you.