Will you be my friend?
We all want an answer.
Hello friend,
I remember a summer day when all I wanted more than anything was a friend to play house with me, or roller skate down the sidewalk, laughing in the wind.
A simple formula: Friend + Play = Fun.
I’ve made many friends since then. Some come for a season, and others hold steady for a lifetime. Some move away, and others stay close. And there are those stalwart friends we don’t get to see often, but we keep in touch. When I see them again, our conversation will pick up where we left off, still friends.
While any relationship can get tangled in expectations and outcomes, I’ve learned best friends adhere to that simple formula of spending time together, through the ups and downs while having a little fun along the way.
"All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it."
—The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
June 8 is National Best Friends Day.
Children don’t mince words. They get straight to the heart of the matter. I’m a sucker for a good story about how friendship looks, feels, and sounds, and what happens when we lose a friend or get rejected.
A good place to look for models of friendship and life lessons comes from children’s picture books. The best authors of these books have a keen sense of how a child sees the world.
I gathered a few lines from my favorite books to celebrate this day. Enjoy, and remember.
“Why did you do all this for me?” he asked. “I don’t deserve it. I've never done anything for you.”
“You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. “That in itself is a tremendous thing." — Charlotte's Webb, E.B White.
And Max, the king of all wild things, was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all.
—Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
Her face was friendly and familiar, and there was something about her that felt just right. At first, they weren’t sure what to do. Neither of them Had made a friend before. But . . . After a little while they realized they were perfect together.
—The Adventures of Beekle, The Imaginary Friend, Dan Santat
“I like you the way you are,” she said, “But you’ll be more comfortable with your shoulder strap fastened.”
“You must be a friend,” said Corduroy. “I’ve always wanted a friend.”
— Corduroy, Don Freeman
I know you’ll be kind… and clever… and bold.
And the bigger your heart, the more it will hold.
When nights are black and when days are gray—
you’ll be brave and be bright so no shadows can stay.
And become anybody that you’d like to be.
And then I’ll look at you and you’ll look at me
and I’ll love you, whoever you’ve grown up to be.
— The Wonderful Things You Will Be, Emily Winfield Martin
Be who you are and say how you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.
— Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss
"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember.
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you."
— The House at Pooh Corner, A.A. Milne, Author and Earnest H. Shephard, Illustrator
Find time for a friend today.
Picture books are for big kids, too—try one.
A Flock of Friends © Kim Bronikowski (my very talented and creative sister)
When you’re down, You’ve Got a Friend because That’s What Friends Are For, and remember, You’ve Got a Friend in Me.
“We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over.”
—Ray Bradbury
If you want to read more from me, visit my website. I’ll be there waiting for you.
With gratitude,
Kathryn
I always welcome your thoughts, so, please leave a comment or click the little heart.
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I’ve always adored children’s books. They revive the child within the parent.
I will be your friend. Always. I hope you know that. Distance doesn’t matter. Hugs. Hugs.
Beautiful! Children's books are such a good way to learn!