I came across an article recently entitled, “The Blessings of Friendship”, in the May, 2010 edition of Guidepost Magazine. It got me thinking about what blessings I see every day with the friendships that develop at all of our communities.

In the 12 years I’ve been here at Argent Court, I cannot begin to tell you how many wonderful friendships I have been privileged to witness. I remember two ladies in particular – one lady was from California and the other was from the Houston area. They both moved to Argent Court Seguin to be close to their families. They happened to be
next door neighbors and quickly found they had a lot in common. They met daily to play cards in the afternoon, ate meals together and just really enjoyed each other’s company. When one of them was sick, the other was there by her bedside bringing her comfort.

I feel certain it was their friendship that carried them through so many tough times. Scientific research shows that friendships and other social networking resources lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease and
lessen the onset of depression. In addition, social connections decrease the likelihood of age-related dementia and other debilitating disorders, since interacting keeps you alert, mindful and accountable. I can tell you first hand, the people who have a lot of social interaction and friendships by nature are healthier and have less somatic complaints.

There is a saying that a good relationship doubles the joy and divides the pain. This was certainly the case with these two ladies and I see evidence of it daily in my work with our residents in Argent Court.