Friends or relatives?

During my school and college days, I always thought friends were my world and I even imagined a life and work that would involve a circle of my close friends. Even after my marriage (being the first one in this group to get married), I made it a point to keep in touch with all of them through letters (note-there were no e-mails then!) and making personal visits whenever I could. But as one friend after the other from the group got married, I noticed that their inclination towards maintaining the friendship was waning. At first, it was difficult for me to comprehend the reason. But slowly, I realized that being a woman , the importance given to the relatives of the husband's side is more and friends take a back seat. The best option for me was to develop a fresh friendship with someone my age from the close circle of relatives. Luckily for me, my co-sisters-in- law happened to be of the same age and slowly, but steadily, over the years our relationship has blossomed so beautifully that I feel developing a friendship with cousins or close relatives of the same age group is more long-lasting and practical than the ones developed in college or school.
In fact, many of my so-called close friends have not even bothered to keep in touch and I think that whenever we go through a personal high or low , it's the relatives who we are able to share it with immediately and not friends who are usually settled elsewhere. In times of crises, a cousin or an in-law is the first one we turn to, thinking that friends need not be troubled at such times. Though I do not feel the gap developed with school or college friends when we meet after years, I do miss out on the major happenings in their lives. Bonding with cousins, sisters or in-laws (when we get lucky) becomes stronger over the years. At least, that's how it's been for me.