Happy National Friendship Day!

On the first Sunday in August, we celebrate National Friendship Day to encourage people across the world to connect with friends. It is a day to expand your view of the world by making a new friend or reconnecting with an old friend on National Friendship Day.

I have over 1400 friends on Facebook.  I’m not bragging about this.  I have met a lot of people as I have traveled through life and many of them, I chose to stay connected to.

On Friday’s post, part of my core group of friends was mentioned.  The guys who stood up in my first wedding.  Lifelong friends – Jeff, Joe, Steve, and Steve.  I would put Margaret, Chris, Stacey, Stephanie, Allyson, and Warren in that group, too.  Almost everyone of them will fit into another category – school friends.

My school friends consist of classmates from elementary school, junior high and high school.  There are just too many of them to list here.  This category of friends can be expanded, though.  I have many friends from school who were teachers, bus drivers, cooks, custodians, and staff members.  All great people.

My sleep friends are also plenty.  The classmates I had in college, coworkers and those who hold the same RPSGT credential are all connected to me.  There are plenty of college friends who were made that had other majors, but we shared prerequisite classes together.

During my radio career, I accumulated many additions to my friend list.  First, there are former coworkers that go all the way back to 1988 and my first radio job.  Then, there are the many listeners who became life long friends.

Also from my radio career, I met many wonderful people from the community.  I met business owners, politicians, members of law enforcement, local TV personalities, and celebrities. I can’t mention radio friends without mentioning the record label friends.  There are plenty of them, too.

Celebrity friends like singers (James Otto, Craig Morgan, Emily West), other DJs (Dr. Dementia, Joe Piscopo), comedians (Don Reese, Dobie Maxwell), famous relatives (Dean Martin’s daughter Deana, Curly Howard’s grandson Bradley, Lou Costello’s daughter Chirs), actors (Eddie Deezen, Clint Howard), cartoonists (Kevin Fagan, Drew Friedman), and authors (Brad Meltzer, Geoff Dale, Bill Cassara, Burt Kearns) are all folks I am glad to have interacted with.  Some of them I know better than others, and I have regular interactions with them.

Along those lines are the friends I have through shared interests.  My Dean Martin friends and Three Stooges knuckleheads are plenty.  Not to mention those friends I made through bowling and golf.

I also am blessed to have many neighbor friends.  They come from the various neighborhoods I have lived in throughout my life. Many go all the way back to 1977!

Friends who are true blessings are my church/faith friends.  Pastors and teachers from across the country are so helpful when I run across something I don’t grasp.  The brothers and sisters from my local church assembly are truly loved.  Of course, there are those friends that I have made at Bible conferences, and as students of Grace School of the Bible.

Last, but certainly not least, there is you.  My blogger friend.  Maybe we share a love of music, books, writing, poetry, movies or nostalgia.  This WordPress community has been just wonderful.  I have met some amazing friends here. 

Today, I thank you for your friendship.  Make sure to reach out to a friend today!

#NationalFriendshipDay