Top Tier

When you leave your home and go to another one as many times as I have, you are very rational about how it will work. You cannot take all your friends with you -- definitely not physically and often not emotionally either. They will instead get filed into one of three tiers. (My friend Stebbs loves my tiers ... so I dedicate this post to you Stebbs.)

(Tier 1) "Friends for life" Friends: These are friends that you will make a point to visit, call, and stay-in-touch with. They are definitely on your Christmas card list (and may even get a present.) Sometimes the friend is more "reliable" about staying in touch and visiting then you are, but usually, at least one part of the equation really works to keep things close.

(Tier 2) "If our paths cross" Friends: These are friends that you will look up if you are in the same city and "do lunch", but overall, you won't stay in perfect touch. They may or may not be on your Christmas card list. These are people that you may have gotten together with a few times, but they weren't in your "inner circle."

(Tier 3) "This is really good bye" Friends: These were most likely, most casual acquaintances. Maybe you ended up at the same functions, but usually through mutual friends. You won't share Christmas cards and probably will not look each other up if you were in the same city. However, you will be friends on Facebook and shout out a quick "hello" every now and then.

Each time I leave a place, I know that only a few people from that place will go into my top tier. It's not to be mean to anyone else. It's just that you can't stay in touch with everyone. My blog and Facebook has helped me keep my group of people a bit broader, but I just can't emotionally invest much farther than that. Sometimes, I am not sure who will stay in Tier 1 and who will shift to Tier 2. It really just depends on distance and how well we do at staying in touch.

Shane and Linda Jones are one family that are my Turker Tier 1 people. They became family to us in Turkey. One of the best parts of Shane & Linda was that they were newly married and it was just them. In the same step as our friends Patty & Yamil, because they didn't have children, they were able to come hang out at our house when we were busy putting our kids to bed. They also loved on our children -- always a plus when you don't have family anywhere close.

I was so excited to get to spend a few days with Shane & Linda while I was in Germany for my procedure. In addition, our good bye will be short-lived as they are headed to the Azores to spend Thanksgiving with us.

I thank the Lord for ALL the people I meet on my adventures. All three tiers are equally important when you are in a place, but those who really stand in as your family when you are away, hold an extra special spot.

Love you guys! Can't wait to see you in just a few days!