You may have met in elementary school, at the middle school lunch table, your dorm hall freshman year, or maybe even later.  You may have all met at once or built your family of friends over time. They are your biggest cheerleaders, your trusted advisors, the ones that have stuck by you year after year. They are your family of friends.

At the beginning, it was all about the fun. They make you laugh, you can have a good time anywhere, and they just get you. Then something not-so-great happens and you realize you can depend on each other for stability, guidance, and reassurance.

As we grow and change, these are the friends who are supportive, honest, and truly have your best interest at heart. They are there for the little things like a cup of coffee, a day at the beach, or a night out.

And they are there for the big things like graduations, wedding days, and bringing baby home from the hospital. They have supported you through life’s twists and turns… careers, houses, toddlers, teens, and so much more.

One of life’s sweetest pleasures is when your kids become friends with your friend’s kids. Not because they go to school together, or play on the same team, just because they get along, have a good time together, and have an inherit sense of trust. They have grown up together in one way or another. Maybe they live in the same town or maybe they only see each other for an annual group getaway. Either way, there is a special bond.

You love your friends’ kids like your own. You cheer when they succeed and support them when they need a boost. You love them for who they are and want the very best for them in whichever path they choose.

Before you know it, one of life’s biggest milestones, high school graduation, arrives for the first of this next generation. As with so many other events you have experienced together, you laugh, cry, and lend support, both in thoughts and actions.

One group of lifelong friends came to us to start a tradition to celebrate graduation and give the graduates something special to take to college and beyond. They wanted a gift that was from the heart. When the time comes, they give each graduate a memory blanket to commemorate how far they have come and remind them that they will always have each other.

As this next generation enjoys the little things, makes big decisions, and lives the life they are meant to live, your friends will be there to laugh, and cry, and love you just as they did when you were going through it yourselves.

Cheers to you and your family of friends!