The Power of Friendship

When I first started blogging, I did it to be part of a community. I saw the blogging world as a place where people could anonymously discuss topics that were all over the map while providing an outlet for letting out personal thoughts. It started off really slow for me; just a few comments from family members with no real interaction from the actual blogging world. Valkyrie was my first outside blogger to find my blog and from there, fellow bloggers seem to trickle in. I became part of a community and although I will probably never meet any of these people that I have come cherish, I consider them friends.

So where am I going with this? Well, I find it fits well to talk about the friendships I have come across as this is post number 1000 on my blog. I have been blogging for a while now and I have finally reached the 1000 post mark. But, I have even more to discuss when it comes to friendship.

I know it is cliche as hell, but I have always believed that if you are nice to people, they will (most of the time) be nice back. I have always tried to be the best friend I can to everyone I am close with - from bloggers to real world friends. From people I have known since preschool to people I have just met. A couple of days ago, I realized that I must be doing a good job at this friend thing.

As many of you already know, Jess and I have been going through a lot lately. From relatives with health issues to our unfortunate miscarriage last month, it has really been one bad thing after another. I haven't been talking about these things on the blog too much lately because I have had an outlet in my camera and the picture of the day. But then, because of a mistake and a dishonest citizen, I lost my camera. Suddenly I felt very empty. Although a camera is just an object, it really was the icing on the cake and my outlet was gone. I borrowed my sister's camera, the same exact camera to be exact, but it felt weird as it wasn't MINE. A purchase of a new camera was on the horizon, but I had to come up with some funds first.

Unbeknownst to me, my friends were already on top of it. I found out earlier this week that some friends of mine had sent out a message/email to people that Jess and I were friends with and told them about our situation if they didn't know already. They asked for donations out of the goodness of their hearts to help replace the camera that was taken. And you know what, the requests were met. Our friends were able to raise around $200 for Jess and I to use towards the purchase of a new camera. $200! They didn't have to give money; I consider them friends already. But to see that the friends cared enough to give money to me to help rectify something that was mostly my mistake is amazing. It is touching. And you know what is awesome? I still don't have the list of who these people are who donated so I can thank and yet, nobody has come out to say, "Yeah, I donated." Nobody has come out to toot their own horn and brag about giving money. And why? Because they did it out of the goodness of their hearts. I plan to thank each and every one of these people, but nobody feels the need to let me know to receive their thanks. They know it is coming.

So, what did I learn? Friendship is a powerful thing. It helps to be nice to everyone because in times of need, friends really do come through, sometimes in ways you would have NEVER expected. I have some great friends and I truly am thankful for that. Whether it be in the real world, or people I have met after 1000 posts on this blog, I am truly blessed.