My Birthday Weekend

Marriage and Relationships Monday

I'm so glad that today I get to write about relationships. My friendships are primarily fed on the weekends. The marriage is a 7-day-a-week thing, but my social life exists mainly during those scant hours from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening when I see local friends face-to-face and far away friends on Facebook. 

And this past weekend was my birthday. My birthday dinner was a restaurant we'd never been to and six of us were there. Me and Rob, Stan and Sammie, and the Gays, Bob and Mark. Stan and Sammie are our best couple friends for the last 6 or 7 years. The four of us get along so well as a group we generally go into shock if we're not hanging out at least 4 weekends a month. A little co-dependent, but nonetheless it works beautifully for us. The Gays are new friends. But halfway through dinner Bob turned to me and said "I'm so glad we're family now." His eyes were bright with bourbon but his smile and his words were genuine. And I felt the same way.

Choosing your family does not mean that there will never be conflict, but it helps me remember to be kind. That night there were many jokes, compliments, barbs and insults, and generous and silly gifts were received. But the best gift of all was an evening with my family.