I'll Be There For You

So. This week, we're talking about friendship. When I began to think about what my friends mean to me, and how they've affected my life--the song, "I'll Be There For You," by the Rembrandts, immediately came to mind.

This song was originally (and specifically) written as the theme song for hit TV show, Friends. It was never meant to be released as a single, but due to public demand, the Rembrandts recorded, and released, a full-length version. And that version hit the Pop Top 20.

Was I a Friends fan? You bet. Even now, years after the show has gone off the air, I remember the friendships depicted in the show. And "I'll Be There For You" sums those relationships up perfectly. But really, I think the lyrics are a perfect representation of ALL good friendships--no matter where you are in your life, your age, or how the world changes around us.

The song opens with:

So no one told you life was gonna be this way

Your job's a joke, you're broke, and your love life's DOA

It's like you're always stuck in second gear

And it hasn't been your day, your week, your month,

or even your year

but...

I'll be there for you

When the rain starts to pour

I'll be there for you

Like I've been there before

I'll be there for you

'Cuz you're there for me too...

If you're like me, just reading the opening verse and the chorus brings the song back into your memory in a flash, but if you want to read the rest of the lyrics, you can HERE. But what I really want to talk about is the meaning of this song--at least how I interpret it.

Which is how, exactly? With good friends, you travel through the ups and downs of life together. Sometimes you laugh together, sometimes you cry. Other times you support, and at times, you lean--needing their support. You plan, you commiserate, you argue, you make up, and you go on. To do it all again. Over and over.

I'm so lucky to have so many real, true, amazing friends in my life. Here's a shout out to them: To Lisa, Natalie, Kim, Connie, Traci, Denise, and Deborah: I love you girls, more than I know how to say.

Thank you for crying with me, for supporting me, for trusting me with your tears. Thank you for laughing with me, for cheering me on, for gabbing, for morning coffee, for late night kicks in the butt, for sharing favorite TV shows, songs, movies, books, recipes, and everything else.

Thank you for knowing when I need an ear, and for knowing when I need to be left alone. Thank you for seeing me in a way I don't see myself, and sharing that view with me. Thank you for all you've already done, and for all you will do as we continue to navigate life together--arm in arm--as friends.

And as the song says, "I'll be there for you. 'Cuz you've been there for me too."

To my new friends, The Novel Girls: Carolyn, Jillian, Lesley, Lisa, and Maureen--I feel oh-so-lucky to walk arm-in-arm with each one of you, as we begin a new path--together.

Let's celebrate friendship!

AND-Over at my blog today, we're also celebrating. It's my dad's birthday, and in honor of HIM, I'm having my first contest EVER. Come check it out!

P.S. For any Blogger experts out there--why does my spacing change all the freaking time? If anyone knows how to fix this formatting issue, I'd be thrilled to hear it, because it's driving me CRAZY! Basically, what happens is, I type out the post, I save it, I preview it, and the spacing is all garbled up. So I fix it. And sometimes it's okay, sometimes it isn't, and I do it again.