My cousin, Don Kreger, just died in his mid-80s. Besides being an ad writer (wriggly gum), and an actor (he was in acting class with Marilyn Monroe), he was also a writer. In one of his articles, he wrote about Hank, someone else he knew from his early attempts in Hollywood. Hank made it big (not as big as Marilyn), while Don left Hollywood. He was speaking with such feeling about Hank, that Don's wife, Mari Kay, said, "You sound like you loved him." Don wrote, "I laughed, but maybe she was right."

We don't usually think of men as non-romantically loving their male friends, but there's even a song called "Buddy" where the singer recalls everything he misses about his best buddy, and ends with "Your Buddy misses you."

I mention men first because we women don't tend to think in terms of men loving their friends. We do know we love our friends, but - and here's the nub for Valentine's Day - do you let them know you love them? Do you get so caught up in wanting your husband/partner to let you know how special you are that you forget to let those special women friends know how you feel about them?

Did you know that research shows when women need to share their deepest emotions, they are far more likely (I forget the percentage) to turn to their women friends, their sisters, or their mother than to their husband?

My own research into friendships indicates that women do tend to take their friends for granted. I'm delighted there is a website for friends, Girlfriendology.com, and I imagine they'll do something big around Valentine's Day. But, too often, we just know our friends are there and don't bother letting them know how important they are to us, how our lives are enhanced by their presence, how they have helped us grow and change over the years.

So, this February 14, make sure you love your friendships!