Friendships...

Today was one of those really hectic days....one where I didn't sit for a minute and was on the go from early, till now...10 pm.  Yet in between all the hurriedness of my day I was able to enjoy 'virtual tea' and a chat via whatsapp with one of my best friends.  We have been friends since NiQi was first diagnosed with CF and she was in hospital waiting for someone to give her a home.  Mark had been in and out of hospital so often and we knew the regular staff very well, but nurses and sisters came and went as they continued their training or moved to other wards....this friend was then one of the new sisters to the childrens' ward.

It has been twenty two and a half years since then and a lot has happened in that time, but one thing that hasn't changed is our friendship.  I value the friendships I have with just a handful of people who have entered my life at different times and through different situations...I don't want to pick any one of these special people above another  as they are each of them individuals who have been there for me when I have needed them.  Each with their own strengths, I have always known who to go to in different situations...they have always been there for me and have become people I can rely on.  They are 'real' people, down to earth, no airs and graces, no pretense about them, people who make me feel comfortable and who really listen.  We have been through school together, seen each other marry, shared in births and miscarriages, sicknesses and death of parents and children...we have cried together and laughed together, seen each other move into new homes, and expand those homes....They may not always understand and they may not fully comprehend a situation, but they have always been there for me and my family.

When we moved here more than 8 years ago, I wasn't afraid to come to a place unknown to me, because I knew my friends and I have built up relationships over so many years that would continue to grow....we have written 'snail mail'  and progressed to e-mail...then came mxit and facebook and finally whatsapp....we have done it all.  So when a friend of mine is down in the dumps because of her job, I know that a virtual cup of tea and a chat over whatsapp is the best medicine for her and that just made my day today...