I have a close friend who sends me cards a few times a month usually with quotes about friendship. It is a gesture that is so rarely done nowadays given that most stay in touch through email or text but opening my mailbox to see a handwritten card from her is the highlight of my week and makes me feel special and cared for. I typically speak about romantic relationships in this newsletter but I don’t believe that our romantic relationships can be as healthy and as solid as possible if we don’t invest in strong friendships. So many times we believe that the only person we really need in our lives is our husband/wife/partner and while I do believe they are or can be the most important person in our life I also think it is important that we don’t rely on him/her to meet all of our needs. 
Developing friendships is, arguably, just as important as finding the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. We don’t need many but we do need a select few that we prioritize and continuously devote time and energy to. It is within those friendships that we get to know more about ourselves and meet some of our needs for connection, love, happiness and many of our interests. Doing so can actually benefit our primary relationship because not only can our friendships challenge us in different ways but it can open up situations that require us to grow and therefore evolve. In doing so we bring more to the table in our relationship which can help keep things alive and healthy.
As in all of our relationships it can be easy to take our friendships for granted. We have days each year that we celebrate all those in our lives that are important to us except for a friendship day. So I say start one. Pick a day that each year you go out and really celebrate with your friend the many things you have gone through together and how valuable that friendship is to making your life what you want it to be. Invest in making the effort to let those that you love know that they are important to you. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or costly, but rather a gesture that creates awareness around how your life wouldn’t be quite as rich without them in it.
I personally am going to take a note from my friend and go write some cards, how are you going to let your friends know they’re valued? Leave me a message in the comment section because I am sure your idea will be one that many of us could find helpful.
