Build a grand estate...

Metropolitan Detroit is ranked as "America's Most Miserable City" according to Forbes.com.

Oh Detroit is not alone. Forbes' misery index includes Oakland, Ca.; Flint, MI; New York; Philadelphia; Los Angeles and others.

Forbes calculated the misery of an area by measuring the crime rate, unemployment, taxes, commute times etc...

Even so, there is beauty in every place. The photo above was taken in the most miserable metropolitan area.

And what Forbes does not measure is beauty.

Or love.

Or friendships.

And those can be found in abundance -- even in America's most miserable cities.

Emily Dickinson says, "my friends are my estate."

How true.

My friends are my estate.

They defy time, geographical boundaries and economic status.

My friends are my estate.

They provide joy in times of sorrow, laughter in the midst of pain, comfort at any age.

My friends are my estate.

They are the most precious of all valuables. They are the warmth in our house, the rock of our Gibraltar, the solid ground upon which we stand.

My friends are my estate.

They add color to the painting of our life. They give meaning to our existence. They are markers of where we are and what we do with our time.

My friends are my estate.

Even in America's most miserable cities, friendships can create sprawling personal estates filled with love, joy and happiness.

How big is your estate?

Is it a lonely house on a hill or a sprawling plot bustling with life and laughter?

Is it a 60 watt bulb casting its glow over a barren room or a chandelier illuminating warm conversation?

Is it a boarded up window or an open door with a warm fireplace?

You decide.

Even in America's most miserable cities, there are sprawling estates open to all.

How big is yours?

Pick up the phone. Share a dinner. Laugh over lunch.

Connect or reconnect with a friend today.

And start building your grand estate.