Friendships are hard. I thought I’d just start there. But if you’re willing, it is possible to have fruitful, long-lasting, and long-standing friendships. And now there’s the Go-To book on friendships!

The Go-To book on friendships
The Go-To book on friendships

My best friend Margaret and I became friends before kindergarten over 35+ years ago. Can you believe that?

It’s so crazy to think we’ve known each other for that long. All thanks to our moms who worked together and were also friends, and that’s how we became friends.

You can imagine how being friends for that long, over the years we’ve had some lows and some pretty deep dives but the awesome thing about it, is I am so thankful because those things and those times have only made our friendship even richer.

And I’ve loved the fact that I’ve had her as a friend for this long, along with our close friend Tasha whom we met in college because let’s face it, making friends and sometimes keeping friends is a job all by itself. Then add in married life, kids, work, church, ministry, etc. and you’re like when do I even have the time or the energy to cultivate said friendships.

Well, if you are wondering, I’ll Be There (But I’ll Be Wearing Sweatpants), a new book by Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston is gonna be your go-to book.

I got my copy a few weeks ago and it really helps to sort through those thoughts that run through your mind as it relates to friendships.

The book is all about finding unfiltered real-life friendships in this crazy, chaotic world. I loved this quote from the book, “The goal is to be real. I have no desire to be anything else with my friends. The goal is to build friendships that can withstand walking into the mess without fear or judgement.”

This has been so true for me as an adult. I long and crave real and authentic friendships.

Another thing I found helpful in the book was this list of 10 Qualities in a Really Good Friend:

  1. They can be real.
  2. They are a safe place for you to be real.
  3. They make time.
  4. They like you for you.
  5. You can trust them.
  6. They’re approachable.
  7. They show up.
  8. They aren’t super-duper negative.
  9. They’re an all-around good human.
  10. They pursue you right back.

Now, for all the friendship gems plus more get your copy of I’ll Be There (But I’ll Be Wearing Sweatpants)- The Go-To Book on Friendships on Amazon here!