This week, I’d like to take the opportunity I’ve been blessed with here to write a little tribute to friendship. Particularly, friends who become family and those special bonds you form with the people you grow up around. I grew up in a family where close friends were considered family, and I’ve carried this example on in my adult life.

If you know me personally, then you know I am a big believer that the mind, body, spirit connection is essential for optimal health and wellness. For me, friendships are a critical part of my spiritual well being. Events in my personal life these past couple weeks have really amplified this truth and brought it to light.

Just when a fairly new, yet quickly close friendship was coming to an end, a dear family friend died. I had to come home to Southwest Michigan for a few days where I was surrounded by family and friends who are family; those who have known me since day one.

Facing the true loss of someone influential in your life really puts things in perspective. It also forces together all the people who shaped you as a person and have known you from the start. I was deeply saddened, but also felt much more centered coming back to my roots.

We will never know why certain people come into our lives or dramatically exit when they do, but if you are fortunate enough to have grown up in this area, chances are you have people who are there for you no matter what, who would do anything for you even if they haven’t heard from you in quite a long while. What greater blessing in life is there than that?

To me, knowing I’m not going through this roller coaster ride of life alone, that I can always come home, is a great comfort.

It’s said that a true friend is someone who knows everything about you and loves you anyway. I felt myself enveloped in this sentiment last week as I attended the funeral of one lifelong friend and the wedding of another in one weekend.

Looking around the packed churches at these pivotal events, seeing all the old familiar faces, made me truly grateful for the lifelong bonds I formed growing up in St. Joseph. I feel strongly that this is something special about our community and we should take note at how lucky we are.

Life can throw us some real curve balls once in a while, but if you are blessed with a true, old friend who knows you to the core, the tough times are easier to bear and the good times more joyous. So, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those in my life who have been there from the beginning and who will be there until the end. I feel truly blessed.

 

Kat Barry, a St. Joseph, Michigan native, is owner of Kat’s Hot Cakes vegan catering, and co author of “The New Chicago Diner Cookbook: Meat Free Recipes from America’s Veggie Diner.” She also develops recipes for eHow.com, where you can find over 30 of her vegan instructional cooking videos. She is also a certified yoga instructor. Kat currently resides in Chicago, and in her free time she enjoys practicing yoga, sampling local spirits, listening to live music, and getting outdoors. Follow @katshotcakes on twitter. Kat can be reached via email at: kat@katshotcakes.com.