Letter #59 - Erica

Sometimes I feel like a bad friend.  I get so wrapped up in my own stuff, or in the lives of a couple of specific individuals, and I neglect other friendships.  I don't mean to, and I often still think about those people, but I get bad at calling, or inviting to coffee or dinner or lunch... and sometimes it happens more because we try several times to make something happen and schedules get in the way, so I eventually kind of stop trying until "things settle".  Erica is one of those people I feel as though I've been neglecting lately.  I was feeling bad about it, so I sent her a letter this week.  I'll admit, it's not the most insightful and incredible letter ever written... it's mostly an invitation to set up a work day like we used to (we both worked from home and fell victim to the trappings thereof at times, so we would support each other by meeting in a central, less distracting location, and work on our own projects while keeping each other company.  It was nice.)

It was also an invitation to have her and her husband over sometime to hang out, since we haven't successfully done so since we got married.  Part of the excitement for us of getting married and getting our own place was finally having somewhere to have OUR friends over.  We both lived at home with our folks, which was great, but if you wanted to just have a couple's night and invited friends to dinner or something, it got kind of weird "hey wanna come hang out at my parents house with me and my fiance? they'll stay upstairs..."  We're rounding the bend on 6 months of marriage and haven't had nearly as many of our friends over yet as we would like.  No solid reason, it just hasn't happened yet.  I'm hoping that some of these invitations I'm extending with this project will start to change some of that, because we really love to entertain :o)

Letter #51 - Kris

When I was young, my parents often "adopted" young couples and became friends with them, and mentors of sorts.  They would have them over for dinner, share with them about their own experiences, watch them start their families, and become very influential in their lives.  Watching them do this, it never really occurred to me that one day I would be half of a young couple like that, and that maybe I would like someone to take me under their wing in a similar way.  Never really occurred to me until my husband and I met Kris and her husband Steve.  We met them just a few months into our marriage, and they have certainly taken us under their wing.  They've had us to their home for dinner, they've been in ours, and they've attended some of my husbands gigs.  It's been very cool to have an older (non family) couple befriend us and make us feel welcomed by their friendship.  The last time we spent an evening together, I discovered that Kris was dealing with some family health issues - several all at once.  Having been in that position myself before, I decided to send her a little note of encouragement and smiles.  I am grateful to have her and her husband fill a role in our lives that I grew up watching my parents fill for other young couples.  I hope that someday my husband and I will be in a position to pay both their kindness, and their friendship forward!