As February approaches I can look back to the just-completed holiday with much joy and happiness. My excursion to Virginia over the holidays was a success with many highs and lows – but all of it good. I found that my grandchildren are smart and funny and stubborn and difficult – I’d say very much normal. I was so very glad that I took the time to be with my daughter and her family and have decided that every other Christmas I will try to go back to be with them again. This upcoming Valentine’s Day will give me the opportunity to send them a sweet little thank you for the fun times we had together.

Last Friday night my NFLL group met for a “We Miss You” Afternoon Delight at our house. An Afternoon Delight is just a short-notice gathering where each person brings a small appetizer and we come together to rekindle friendships and start the New Year. We have been doing this for the last four years and have enjoyed each and every gathering.

We swapped stories about our holidays and discussed our plans for this upcoming year. Seems that everyone wants an extended time together and we’ve decided that a trip to Colorado is in order. With such an active group of women we really had to work hard at finding a date to accommodate all of us, and it seems that July may suit us. We plan to enjoy the high mountain air and the various activities of the Denver area with rafting, sliding, shopping and baseball. We are so excited.

Our NFLL group recognizes how very fortunate we are to be able to move about so much and plan time together, even though many obstacles still exist in our lives. Just like many of you, we have extended family that require our service. We have fathers and mothers who are elderly or alone and need our time and care. We live with sons or daughters and have obligations to work, church and community that engage us and demand our time and attention.

Some of us are married and have children and know that our lives frequently are not our own. It’s not easy to be available to our friends at times of stress and family need, but we understand the value of our friendship and strive to come together to support each other. If it is true – as the research suggests – that friends help extend life and enrich it with joy, then we all expect to live long and happy lives.

Of course, not one of us is unaffected by the recent downturn in the economy. Our jobs and some of our expectations for retirement have suffered significant losses. We approach the future with some sense of trepidation knowing that our past comforts may be compromised by a current lack of funds and the unknown status of the years ahead.

With that in mind, can we really afford a trip together this summer? Well, maybe not, but we are continuing to make plans in the hopes that they will become reality. What happens if our trip is cancelled? Actually, nothing, except we continue to be friends and to gather when we can to celebrate our time together and be happy with each other’s presence in our lives.

True friendship does not demand trips, excursions or vacations in order to survive, but rather a commitment to each other and a promise to be friends. So, as you can see, there is nothing to prevent a friendship from blossoming – even in the face of economic problems, family pressures or busy schedules – one can have friends and enjoy life together. Don’t wait to enrich your life with friends – start now. Sign on to the NFLL Network and find a friend.

Happy Valentines Day!