Exploring one of life's most valuable gifts
Good friends follow you anywhere. Winnie the Pooh I love to travel and can’t remember a time when the anticipation of a trip didn’t make my days a little brighter. Growing up in the Southeastern United States far from extended family meant annual summer road trips to see them in New England. While our destination... Continue Reading →
The teaching profession, matching wedding invitations, and motherhood were the elements that connected my mom to one of the most meaningful friendships of her life that has impacted the next two generations. In her late 20s, my mom had spent a summer with her brother and his new wife in Washington, DC, where she met... Continue Reading →
One day in 1977 when my family was living in Arlington, Virginia, we helped our church community resettle a refugee family from Southeast Asia to the United States. My older sister Monica recently recalled: “There were so many kids in such a small apartment. It made a huge impression on me, about giving." We both remember... Continue Reading →
“Plant the garden of your life with friendship’s lovely flowers.”Unknown Spending my childhood in Virginia and Kentucky, I grew to love the many beautiful flowers and trees in my yards. Our house in Arlington was lined with colorful azalea bushes, and I found comfort in the dogwood and magnolia trees with their trusty blooms each... Continue Reading →
“I am here.” Volodymyr Zelensky As violence continues to escalate in Ukraine, allies around the world are grappling with how best to support this country under siege from such a powerful aggressor. Technology has allowed more widespread sharing of the images of violence than we've ever witnessed before in a conflict. The Ukrainian government and... Continue Reading →
“Adulthood is too serious. I miss stupid. I need stupid. Being stupid with your friends is guaranteed happiness.” Billy Baker Reaching out to friends is a central theme of Billy Baker’s 2021 book, We Need to Hang Out. Baker is a Boston Globe staff writer who was asked by his editor a few years ago to... Continue Reading →
This weekend marks a year since we began our Language of Friendship journey. From the start, our goal has been to encourage people to pay more attention to the meaningful friendships in their lives and to nurture them with the love and care they deserve. While Language of Friendship has not exactly gone viral or... Continue Reading →
Last Sunday I returned from a 4-day gathering with extended family in Colorado to mark my brother’s milestone birthday. I had looked forward to this weekend for months as I rarely get several days with my siblings and cousins without kids in tow, and I love the outdoors. All ingredients for a fun getaway, except... Continue Reading →
I recently saw a meme that read "Happy 2020too." We so eagerly toasted the end of 2020, yet 2021 ushered in more pandemic-related restrictions, and for many of us, more loss. As we start 2022, we hope that you, like us, are finding reasons to be grateful. First and foremost, the lingering impact of the... Continue Reading →
Thanksgiving has long been one of my favorite holidays. This year’s was especially meaningful, spent with extended family and friends near Washington, DC., after the small gatherings of 2020 when air travel was highly discouraged. This Thanksgiving I was reminded of my many blessings. As Thanksgiving weekend is fleeting, we’d like to share some of... Continue Reading →
Language of Friendship 