"Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold." - Girl Scouts of America

There have been a lot of articles circulating recently about losing friends. Losing friends can sometimes be way harder than a break-up. Friendships (typically) last longer, have a little more substance and a whole lot of trust. Whenever you were in high school how many times did your parents tell you that you won't stay friends with your friends? I know mine did. ALL. THE. TIME. I always got so annoyed because I knew for a fact that we would beat all the odds. We were way too close to ever separate.

Fast forward six years after graduation and here I sit with an all new friend group. I love my friends. In fact, I adore my friends. I would be nowhere near the woman I am today if my past hadn't shaped me. Now let me start off by saying that I am still friends with my best girl friends from high school. (That in itself is an amazing accomplishment in my own opinion!) But there are a few special souls that I no longer talk to on a daily basis, I haven't seen in months, I no longer know the juicy details of their lives. I lost my best guy friends.

Growing up you change. Your preferences and attitude and even taste buds change. Sometimes I feel that this is why we weren't friends. But honestly, there was a fight. The details don't matter but cold turkey I walked away from the boys that had been my shoulder to cry on through my toughest moments for years. That's not to say I have lost all of them. Some have held steadfast and I appreciate them more than they could ever imagine.

It wasn't easy. I missed them terribly. I was angry. I was bitter. Then I was haughty. I downed them to my mom to make myself feel better about the friendship that was lost, I placed the blame on them and them alone, and I made it a point to not be the one that came "running back".

I was wrong. I was SO wrong. I was just as at fault as anyone. I chose to walk away. I turned my back on my best friends and I realized how big of a mistake that was. I got served a huge dose of humble pie when one of them had their first child. I was then served an ENTIRE humble pie when one day I received a phone call from my big sister (she's one of the boys' older sister but she is my steady rock) that Daniel was engaged. I was so so happy for him. But it was sad. I didn't know his fiance. I didn't really know him anymore. I had met Hannah once but it was far from the days when we introduced our significant others to each other.

I was invited to the wedding. I was so nervous. I actually think I was more nervous that day than I will be on my own wedding day. For the first time in three years all of us would be in the same place. I didn't know where I fit. They had stayed friends, and were all standing next to the groom on his big day. I considered not going. I didn't want to step into a world where I no longer belonged. But I knew, after long talks with Niki my sister, I would regret that for the rest of my life.

So I went. And you know what? That was the best decision I had made in a long long time. The first person I saw was the son I had never met of one of the guys. Seeing him made me smile and when Kingston turned around I immediately felt at home. And that is how it was the entire time. It was like those three years didn't exist. The family I had grown to love as my own embraced me and treated me like they always have. I wasn't on the outside. I was on the inside. Right where I belonged.

That night I watched my best friends marry the love of his life, the woman that completed him. She was everything I had ever dreamed of for him and more. She was his equal. His match. And let me tell you, the love that radiates between the two of them was amazing. I met the son (and got to see the stunning wife who was pregnant with another little boy) of one of the purest hearted families I have ever known. I met a girlfriend of the other that I instantly clicked with. I realized that I had never lost my best friends. They were there, right where I turned my back on them.

Your story may have not been as extreme as mine. You may have been on the other side, had your best friend walk away from you. You may have just drifted. But I implore you to let it go. Send that text message. Go to that event. Find your friend.

I believe there are people you are meant to walk through life with. People, as in plural. For me, I have a kindergarten class worth of friends I would put myself on the line for. I am blessed to have found my people. And I am so blessed that even though I ran away and wandered through the woods for a while that my forever friends were waiting for me when I got out, right where they said they would always be.

So here's to letting go and moving on. Here's to weddings, and babies, and simple game nights. Here's to knowing where you can turn no matter what. Here's to you, here's to me, here's to the best friends we will always be.

Special shout out to Daniel, Kingston, and Marco. I can't wait to see what our future holds. I am so blessed to be back to where we used to be.