Good morning from New York City. What’s on my mind this morning is the power and beauty and importance of friendship. We just came off of a long weekend in the United States and I rented a car with the intention of connecting live and in person with as many friends as I could. Unfortunately, many of my friends live outside of New York City, and while we exchange messages and have some nice conversation, nothing quite takes the place of being in the presence of a friend. One of the cool things is I connected with friends I’ve known for over 40 years and I connected with a friend who I met six months ago.

I think sometimes people glorify friendship, and I’d like to say that I have friends I’ve known for six months and friends I’ve known for 50 years. I’m not saying that they’re the same, of course. There is a lot to be said for those people that have known you at your best and at your worst, people with whom you have history and speak in shorthand. But I’m a strong believer in new friendships and being open to new friendships.

I like to think of myself as someone who gifts her friendship freely. It’s a loving act and not all friends and friendships are equal, but that doesn’t make one more or less important than the other. Making new friends, introducing friends, forgiving friends, including new people in your circle. It’s all good. Friendship is a gift.

I read a quote somewhere –  I think it was by a guy named Edward Young – he said, “friendship is the wine of life.” I think that captures it perfectly. A Novello wine is not less important than a Brunello. It certainly has its place. I like that. Friendship is the wine of life. This wonderful quote also captures what I’m trying to say well. It says  Friendship is the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world. John Evelyn.

Yesterday, an old friend popped into my mind It’s someone I have had no contact with for about a year and I said to myself, I have to call her right now. It’s the second time I thought about her in the last few days. I called her and the number wasn’t working. I called her home number and it wasn’t working, so I sent an email and it popped back. Finally I looked up her daughter on LinkedIn and sent a message. Later, as I was sitting getting a pedicure, she called me and we had a great chat and briefly caught up. She ended by saying, thank you for making the point of reaching out and finding me. It means a lot.  I know, I agree it does.

So I’ll end by just simply saying friendship to me is such a beautiful thing . It’s truly the wine of life and the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world.

I’ll leave you with that thought today. Until next time, from my heart to yours.