This Christmas season, I am feeling more grateful than ever for the gift of friendship.
My wife and I recently spent a night in Seneca Falls on our honeymoon while en route to the big city. The village in Western New York is believed to have inspired film director Frank Capra to make the 1946 holiday classic, It's A Wonderful Life.
There are many similarities between George Bailey's fictional hometown of Bedford Falls and the real Seneca Falls, which is why the small town of 6,276 people plays off the movie with its holiday decorations and gift shops.
As my wife and I walked down the main street, a quote from the movie inside one of the shops caught my eye. It was the note that Clarence left Bailey in his book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain.
It reads; "Dear George: Remember no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings! Love, Clarence."
Despite reading that quote while watching the movie every Christmas Eve as part of a family tradition, when I read it while standing in the cold on that December night, it hit me differently than it had before.
In that moment, I reflected on the friends I have in my life, the traditions, and memories we share, and the difference they have all made in my life. It made me quite emotional.
I have been truly blessed with some of the best friends a man could ever ask for. A handful of them I have been friends with since almost birth. Others I meet along the way through sports or school. And while I'm closer with some than others, each relationship I have is special and unique in different ways.
I truly live for the memories and moments I share with my friends, and I'm always aspiring to make more.
This year, our slo-pitch team made it to the championship series, and I wanted to win so badly. It's not because I'm a competitive guy.
I fully understand that winning a beer league slo-pitch trophy means nothing in the grand scheme of things and says very little about our baseball skills, especially being that we were in C Division.
But I saw winning the championship as something we could accomplish and celebrate together, which we did. It was meaningful to share that victory with my brothers whom I spend each summer playing ball with.
I am blessed to have shared hundreds of similar memories with my buddies over the years. There are far too many to share here in this column, but the best one of all comes from last December when I married my best friend, Tamara Lea Evans, while in the presence of the people who mean the most to us. It was a special day, and one I'm grateful to have shared with all our closest friends.
Even though some of my friends now reside in different cities across the country, we always check in on each other and keep in touch, which means more to me than they probably know.
Friendship is a special thing, and as an only child, it's something I've valued almost more than anything else in my life.
It's incredible the impact someone can have on your life through friendship, and vice versa, which is one of the main messages of "It's A Wonderful Life." Until Clarence shows Bailey the impact he's made on his friends and family, he doesn't realize the difference he's made.
It's important to reflect on the people who have helped you along the way, and the good you've done for others too. The best thing you can do in life, and especially during the Christmas season, is to give, and that's what friendship is all about.
To all my friends, whether we are currently friends, or maybe we once were and have lost touch, thank you. I am forever grateful for your companionship.
