Made my day. I miss her. She's not too far away, but far enough that kids and jobs keep us from getting together like we'd like to.
It dawned on me when I got this how important our friends are. Of course we know how important they are, but life sometimes gets in the way. There's been a lot of talk about friendships in the blog world over the last few weeks.
Women talking about how many friends they have, how many they don't have. Insecurities in friendships. How they have a select group of friends. And how they have friends in different stages of their lives.
All of this has me thinking about my friendships. Sure, if you know me, you might say I have a lot of friends. And I do. But whether anyone likes it or not, we do classify our friends. Our BFF's or as my daughter says, BFFL's {pronounced biffle}{best friends for life}. Those from church we see each week. School moms we've grown to know over the years. Co-workers.
I've grown to understand that some friends take offense to whether or not they are high up on your list of friends. I've had my own feelings hurt. Honestly, it's not about that. I don't value one friend over the other. I value each of my dear friends for different things and a lot of the same things.
What I've realized is this. We have friends of all kinds. Each serves a purpose. Each lasts for a time, whether it's a few months or years.
I've been blessed many times over when it comes to friends and I've also had lots of heartache with friendships.
I thought about doing a post talking about each of the special women I'm proud to call my friends. Then I changed my mind. Then I changed it again. I want people to know friends come in all shapes and sizes. It's not about what you have in common so much as it's about finding someone that brings something to the friendship that you value, that you need. Sounds a little mushy, I know.
I don't want to put them in the spotlight so to speak.
They are, each and every one of them, simply amazing women. And I'm so very thankful for them. God has blessed me with their love, honesty, respect and loyalty.
Hopefully they each know who they are if they read this.
{S}...we have a lifetime of memories. We met when we were Caroline's age. And she means the world to me. She's vibrant, sweet, a firecracker at times, and we always pick up where we left off. She's my free spirit. She's my friend that just lives and loves. She's taught me so much in this life, though she may not know it. We share so many passions...books, wine, pasta, thrifting and vintage finds.. And even though we are very different, we fit. She's seen me at my worst and I've seen her. We never judge each other. ever. I simply love her. She's my oldest friend, going on {eek} 25 years.
{MG}...she shares my heart. She's my super sweet never hurt a fly friend. She's careful with her words. She loves unconditionally. She's the most giving person I know. She gives everything she can, whether its love, support, a place to stay, prayers. She just has a giving heart. She's just a beautiful person. She probably knows me the deepest. She knows my heart. She knows how I'll react before even I do. And she's always there. Whether by phone or travel, she's there. She lives her life in a way that exemplifies God's love. And her love for Jesus and people is inspiring. We grew close in high school and have only grown our friendship from there.
{MW}...my no holds bar, tell it like it is friend. She tells me what I don't want to hear. Once she's in your life, she's there to stay. The dancing queen. We get in the car, turn the music up and dance. And embarrass our girls to pieces. She's the one I vent to, the one who scolds me for having 10 loads of laundry to do, and the person who pops my back when I can barely move. She keeps me in line. Puts me in my place. And I can't begin to tell you how much I love her for that. We need a friend who'll tell us what we don't want to hear every now and again. She's the most reliable person I know. If she says she'll do something she will. Without fail. We've been friends for a few years and so have our girls and it's a friendship that will last.
{I}...always tries to bring out the positive, in all things. Sassy and spunky, gentle and caring. Loves on everyone. Such a special friend to me. She has such a kind heart. Soft spoken, even keeled and thoughtful in her actions. She's my uber-busy friend, always on the go. But she makes time throughout her days to send a thoughtful text or say a prayer when you need it most. When I need a good dose of wittiness, she's my girl. Like {MG} her love for Jesus and people is inspiring. She always has a verse for me when I need it. Our girls were friends first. And like I said earlier, you have friends from all different places. And we've grown to be very close watching our girls grow up.
{H}...my kindred spirit. I feel like we could be sisters. We were raised so very similarly, we share a lot of the same thoughts on family, on life. We share a sick obsession of office supplies, haha! Paper, pens, notepads, etc. It's comical. She shares the same style as me. When I walk into her house, I feel at home. We both love a good vintage find. She's blessed with a beautiful family and gorgeous home, and she doesn't take it for granted. She's humble. She cherishes her friends, loves them, and is there for them. She knows how to sit back and enjoy a good glass of wine. We both hold traditions in a high regard. And I can literally talk to her for hours. We met when our girls started kinder. Our friendship has grown right along with our girls friendship.
{LS}...my white trash friend {no offense people, she'll love that title} She's the friend who could care less what a soul in this world thinks of her. She doesn't care if you go to the store in your jammie pants. Or if you show up without make-up on. She loves a good dive bar and trashy reality TV. She just knows who she is. And she's not white trash. She's spunky and fun and is the friend who will beat up the mean girls {not really}. But she's the one who will listen and stand beside you through it all. She's precious. She's the one I can text at 1am. And even though it's 1am, she gives sound advice. She has perseverance, she's driven. She strives to be the best mom and wife she can be. And it turn, that makes her a great friend. We met through our girls activities. And although our girls were only on the same team for a year, we knew we had a friend in each other.
You see, friends are a special thing. All of these ladies are dear to me. Most of them share many of the same qualities and traits. A few are more outspoken, some are old souls. But they each are always there. This is a group of women that I can call on anytime for anything. Trust me, I think each of them have gotten late late calls from me, haha!
I trust each of them with my daughter, because I know they would all raise her and love her in the same way I would. Whole-heartedly.
These women are my lifeline. They pray with me, enjoy a night out with me, love my family, know when I'm breaking. And I'd do anything in the world for them.
Thank you all for your precious friendships!
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