Friendships and Farewells...

Today is a bit of a sad day for not only my son Jude but also for all the other kids that live with us. Just over a year ago Hitxam (pronounced hisham) moved into our townhouse complex and Jude and him have been the best of friends ever since! Today, sadly - is his last day here as they are moving to a bigger house because they have four kids and now have two German Shephard puppies.

Jude was actually in tears earlier when we got home from school, because the first thing he did was run down to Hitxam's house and there was nobody there. Jude thought he had already gone. Fortunately, they came back to clean up the last of the move and now, all the boys are playing together upstairs making a hell of a racket haha!

I don't think any of them realise just how absolutely blessed they are to live in the space we do - especially here in South Africa, where allowing your kids to play out in the street is a thing of the past. Here, they have been afforded that "old school" lifestyle where they can play soccer until the sun sets, ride their bicycles and enjoy complete freedom without us parents having to worry about their safety.

Although ALL the boys here are very close, Jude and Hitxam developed a particularly close friendship and have played together pretty much every single day since he arrived here. They have made so many memories together and I must be honest, I am getting quite tearful even writing this because despite the fact that I know they are not going to be far away and the boys will still see one another - it won't be the same as having him right here with all of us!

Jude and Hitxam have shared so much together, from hot wheels races, building minecraft mansions, practicing their soccer skills to having dance off's haha! They have made MANY live play videos together for Jude's Youtube channel too! Just so many hours of completely seamless fun!

All the boys here have the most wonderful collective friendship! They seldom argue or bicker, they just get along and have good, clean, healthy fun! And they are all such amazing kids! The memories are countless - even in such a short space of time! All of them even jumped on board to support Jude with the whole Seven77 challenge on twitter! Every single day, they were ready to rock and roll! There were so many cool videos of their contributions but the Dtube videos appear too old and wont play.

I am so sad that Hitxam is leaving! It is like there will be a missing link! It makes me reflect back to my own childhood and the friends I had back then. I can recall how much it saddened my heart when I had to move away from friendships that I had for many many years. I guess, as a mom - I sit here and wish that this perfect little haven they have as kids can remain unchanged forever... but the sad reality is, this is seldom the case. Life changes and people move on.

Intentions of staying in touch can be honourable but it does not always work out like that. Life gets in the way and before you know it, a whole year has passed. I know this with even my adult friendships now. One of my oldest friends - we only see one another about once a year now and we only live 20 min apart.

I suppose it is all about MAKING the time for the people and things that are truly important to you. It broke my heart to see my little boy so sad over all of this... he is such a sensitive little soul and I truly hope that the two of them will continue to nurture the beautiful friendship which they have been so blessed with.

I decided to create one last "collective" memory a few minutes ago and went to take one last photo of the "gang". They really are such a fantastic group of friends and in a world where there is so much of the opposite among youngsters, it is heartwarming to have been privy to their little journey together. Say cheese boys!!!!!

Friendships are so precious! Don't take them for granted! Don't abuse them! They impact our lives in so many positive ways and they are all completely unique!

“An acquaintance merely enjoys your company, a fair-weather companion flatters when all is well, a true friend has your best interests at heart and the pluck to tell you what you need to hear.”― E.A. Bucchianeri