Before I get started with my response to today’s Share Your World prompt, I just want to say a few words about Melanie, who has been hosting this weekly prompt for at least the past few years. Melanie passed away over the weekend. I have been following Melanie’s blog for a long time and it’s hard to believe she has actually left us. Melanie was quite a character. She was quirky, brutally honest, funny, sad, and lovable. She will be missed.
Di, at Pensitivity101, who has been standing in for Melanie for the past month or so, has graciously agreed to continue to host this weekly prompt in Melanie’s memory.
1. Do you consider friends an extension of your family?
If I think about my immediate family, no. My wife, son, daughter, and grandchildren come first above all friendships. If I think of my extended family, though, there are some that I rarely speak with and some that I really don’t care for. So in that case, I have close friends that I consider to be more family than some actual members of my extended family.
2. Would you confide in a friend more than you would a family member?
My best friend is my wife, and there is no one I would confide in more than her.
3. How long have you known your best friend?
In the case of my wife, who as I mentioned, is my best friend, we met in 1976, so 46 years. I have several other close male friends that I’ve known since before I met my wife, but I don’t live near any of them anymore, so my interactions with them are a lot less frequent.
4. Do you believe distance has a negative effect on friendships?
Yes, I think distance does have a negative effect because there are barriers to getting together and sharing experiences with people who live far away. Telephone calls, letters, emails, cards, and text messages just aren’t the same as physical proximity.
That said, I am grateful for the friendships I have made with people from all around the globe via blogging. I probably feel more of a closeness with many of you who are reading this than I do with some real world friends who I see, talk with, or exchange written communications with much less frequently than I do with many of you.
This, That, and the Other 
Thanks for joining in Fandango. Just to let you know, Rachel who broke the news of Melanie’s passing, is looking after Ziggy.
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That’s good to know. Thanks.
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🙂
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Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend Melanie.
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Thanks, Michael.
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Yes , Melanie will be missed by all of us.
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Great answers. I agree that some friends are closer to us than some family members. My dad always said ‘you can choose your friends but not your family.’ Yet when any family member is in trouble I would be there for them whether I liked them or not. Blood is thicker than water is very true. That’s why good friends are like family.
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So much of my “larger” family have died, there aren’t many left. Owen, Garry, and a couple of others are both friends and family. But distance DOES matter. If you never see each other, there is a piece missing from a relationship. We need to get close, to physically be close as well as to talk.
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I agree. Even with relatives, outa sight, outa mind.
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I am grateful for my “blog family” who get me through most days 🙂
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So sad about Melanie, rest in peace.
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Its so sad to hear of Melanie’s passing! May she rest in peace! I’m going to miss her!
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We will miss Melanie very much. A beautiful soul.
I also consider my blogging friends more close that some real life friends.
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I am sorry your friend passed away. I know she had great questions for Share Your World.
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Yes, I still can’t quite wrap my head around her being gone.
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