Do you have a best friend?

I do…and here she is…this is Karen, patron saint of processed foods. Karen is the most efficiently amazing person I know. Nothing seems to get to her and she is so talented and well-read in so many areas. She and I served on the PHF board for almost 6 years and home schooled our kids together for 18 months, which I could never have done without her support and help. I knew she was a dear friend for a long time but today a care package arrived via a PHF member and now I know what true friendship really is. Here’s what we got….

Koolaid

Lipton instant noodles and cup-o-soup

Instant mashed potatoes

Hidden Valley Ranch dressing

Sloppy joe mix

Taco seasoning

TONS of instant gravy

Fruit snacks

Pretzels

Instant spaghetti sauce

Zip-lock bags (amazingly expensive here)

Little toys for the kids

Curse of the Were-Rabbit

People magazine’s 20 years the sexiest men alive

In short, tons of that preprocessed celebrity gossip crap that apparently America is known for—and which I absolutely adore! Yes, it’s true that we eat too much processed foods, but dang—is it hard to rustle up a meal without them!

Do you have a best friend? One that you can really count on—or maybe you have really had to lean on that someone when you were in a rough place? I hope you realize how truly special that relationship is. When you can lean on someone and count on them to know exactly what you need, even when you are halfway around the world…that’s a friend.

Don’t wait to do tell your friend how you feel. Do something great for them just because you know how precious that person is.

P.S. I know that she is great because while I was writing this she sent me an email about "friendships of convenience" (of which we've all had so many) and friendships that last across time and distance and circumstance. I've been blessed to have two of those people in my life (yes, Lisa, that's you--my friend since 4th grade!) and so I'm feeling very lucky today, albeit very far away!