Friend, what does this word mean? According to one definition at wordreference.com, a Friend is:a person you know well and regard with affection and trust. What is a friend to you? As a little girl, my friends were the perfect people to roll down grassy hills with, play hopscotch, and make mud pies with. Friends would help administer “Cootie Shots”, when a yucky little boy, or any boy for that matter, touched you. We’d say we’d be, “Best Friends Forever” and dream about the day we’d have little girls of our own to dress up and play together. As I got older, my friends and I would have sleepovers and laugh and giggle about the tiniest little things, we would help each other with homework, and even made up our own “secret language”. In high school I helped a friend plot out the ultimate plan to get noticed by the boy of her dreams. When our “perfect plan” failed miserably, we then comforted and assured each other that: A. I was not a horrible friend for suggesting that she drown herself in perfume and act excruciatingly girlish, and B. The guy wasn’t nearly as cute as she thought, and was a big “meanie” anyway. My high school friends came in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and each had their own unique personality that made our friendship special.
As the years went on, I lost contact with a lot of my school friends, met the man of my dreams, got married and had children. Even though life as an adult has gotten to be so full of duties and responsibilities, I’ve come to realize that I should never be too busy to remember the special people in my life. My husband has become the ultimate best friend and loving support for just about everything to me, but I’ve also thought about those old school friends of mine, and wished I could say sorry for losing touch. Friends, after all, are the people who enrich our lives with love, companionship, comfort, support, and that is certainly a lot to be grateful for. Luckily, after a bit of searching I was able to contact a few of my old friends and thank them for all of the wonderful memories we shared, as well as apologize for not being more careful in preserving our friendship. Let me tell you, it feels very peaceful and absolutely wonderful to be able to re-connect with an old friend and I recommend it to anyone and everyone. I never want to look back again and say, “I wish I would have been more grateful for having so and so in my life.” No Ma’am, not me. No matter how busy we get, we should always do our best to show our friends how much we care and appreciate them being in our life. How many of us remember to thank our loved ones’ for the lovely advice, hugs, and support they’ve given us throughout the years, and even reciprocate it as well?
Here are just a few simple suggestions that will help you get into the spirit:
Have a friend that is sick? How about making her a yummy little pot of chicken soup.
Did your cousin’s boyfriend dump her for another honey? Maybe a pint of her favorite chocolate ice cream and some kind words will help lessen the sting of love.
Did your husband patiently sit there and listen for an hour while you ranted about your day at work? Write him a simple note saying, “Thanks for listening, I love you!”
Have a friend whose thoughtfulness has helped you out in times of need? Call and offer to help her with anything she might be in need of.
Weather you call to say a quick hello, or write a short note saying you care, these little gestures and acts of kindness go a long way. You may never know how much this means to a person and it reinforces the beautiful bonds of friendship and love. After I was married, my mother gave me this wonderful piece of advice; she said that love is like a little flower that needs frequent watering and sunshine. If you don’t provide it with these things, it will wilt and die. If you do provide it with these things, it will blossom and bloom forever. This lovely idea can be applied to friendships, weather they are between you and your husband, or you and your neighbor. If you are gracious and kind to people, you will foster a beautiful relationship that will bloom far into the years. As Vintage Housekeepers we should not only make our homes scrumptious, but the relationships with our friends and family as well. Here’s to scrumptious living, the Brocante Home way. Cheers, and go hug a friend today!
Create your own Brocante Life Book, plan Christmas, set up routines and rituals or live life the BrocanteHome way with my guided workbooks and planners.
Heather Bailey makes me feel happy. It is, I suspect, the joie de vivre in every pattern and the longing for a life ruched in coral and olive stripes… Be an early bird and go visit Heather’s scrumptious new store before the…
Bettina and Bob are a rather charming vintage couple navigating their way through new married life and the setting up of a well thought out first home and this is the second of many appearances they will be making here on Brocantehome,…
Oh purlease let it arrive in time for me to share a Sunday morning Brocante breakfast of flaky buttery croissants with a writer I adore… Erm in November, because it seems I have actually pre-ordered this book and it’s gonna be a…
..to Paola over at Mirror Mirror, who not only has impeccable taste and one of the most scrumptious online boutiques on the net, but has also had the good fortune to have her charm, wit, good taste and business sense recognised by…
All images credited on my pinboard. Hello Sweethearts, is it just me or does it feel like many moons ago that the Carousel came to town? After two weeks of miserable sickness for poor Finley, I have, with my heart a little…
One of the things I have become most aware of recently is how very willing I have been to exist in uncomfortable spaces, merely in order to maintain the status quo. To not upset the apple cart, nor to seem more erratic,…
{"id":null,"mode":"form","open_style":"in_place","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":300,"top_media_type":"featured_image","featured_image_url":"http:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/tipjar-2.png","featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Leave a tip","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Pay","payment_request_label":"BrocanteHome","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"BrocanteHome","form_subtitle":"Help Me to Keep BrocanteHome Online","currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you so much: helping me keep Brocantehome online really means the world to me.","payment_confirmation_title":"BrocanteHome","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}