Friends.

So first off . . .a disclaimer.

Blogger is having issues with uploading photos.

I do not - repeat - DO NOT like postings without photos.

But since they are having issues, I am going to have to come up with a game plan to trouble shoot this issue.

In the meantime . . .

I will proceed a head with a post . . .without pictures.

And try not to have an anxiety attack in the process. LOL

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Friends.

I have been on an interesting journey with friends over the last seven months.

During that time period, I have reconnected with several people from my past.

Some have come in like a lion,

helped me with tasks that I was stumped on, and then quietly stepped back into the shadows.

Some have snuck in unexpectedly and quietly,

reclaimed a large piece of my heart and left me wondering why I ever lost touch in the first place.

Many have collaboratively held a mirror up to my face and helped me to see what they say they have seen for years.

Some are dramatically changing my life and my outlook for the better - helping me to become a stronger, empowered person.

Some of these friends I knew in grade school.

Some in high school.

A few, I literally grew up with.

I remember being told when I was young that certain friends would be a part of my life forever.

I never really believed that -

until this year.

What I do know, is that many of these that have reemerged, I plan to do my very best to ensure that they stay a part of my life . . .forever.

 

But more on those later.

 

Today, I pay tribute to another friend.

This friend didn't enter my life until 1991.

I was pregnant with my third child.

We were acquaintances from our church.

In a few random conversations, I discovered that she taught natural childbirth classes.

I had done the "epideral" thing with my first two children and the second was a really, really bad experience and I refused to do it again. (no judgement to those that use that technology - it just wasn't for me.)

So I looked at this discovery as more than a coincidence.

We talked - she shared information and books.

She offered to provide labor support when the "day" arrived.

OK - thanks. 

In my head I'm thinking - "I don't think so, I hardly know you".

Until the day came.

I was inducded. And the pain came on fast and strong.

and I was still refusing drugs to cope.

We called her.

It wasn't even a question - she needed to come.

Why would I call this woman - an almost stranger - to share one of the most intimate experiences of my life?

Again - not a coincidence.

She dropped everything and was by side in about 30 minutes.

She offered a sense of calm and empowerment to me that I had never experienced before.

The birth happened. All was well.

 

That could have been the end of the story and it would have been wonderful. 

Then she brought me a meal.

Then there were a few playdates with our kids - not really frequent - but they happened randomly.

Then she disappeared for a while.

I learned she was dealing with some health issues and was subjected to major surgeries which compromised her ability to walk for months during the healing process.

She hired me to come and clean her house once a week.

And while I was there - we talked.

And talked.

And talked.

And a bond was formed that has never been broken.

 

True friends.

True friends by definition that I can't find anywhere.

She is a part of my soul.

We have laughed together, cried together, listened, and vented to each other.

We have shared dates with our husbands, camping trips with our families.

We have watched our children grow up together and go through good times and some very bad times.

We have ran to each others side with nothing more than a phone call - many times no words were even spoken - just the sound of tears on the other end of the line.

We have held each other while life has taken what we knew to be truth and ripped it apart.

We have helped each other through business start-ups and business failures, financially secure times and times of unemployment.

I remember vividly, the day I took my daughter into the doctors.

She showed signs of something not being "right". My friend had my other kids.

We have gone through the marriage of our children, the birth of our own babies and the birth of our grandbabies.

We have watched each other as our marriages seemed to thrive and then crumble.

We have held each other up during divorce and rebirth.

We have shared everything possible on this life-journey.

My day is not complete unless I have communicated with her.

We have grown and changed and questioned and challenged everything life has to offer.

She has seen my darkest side - without judgement.

She has called me on stupid behavior.

She has been my voice of reason.

She has been my greatest ally and my greatest cheerleader.

 

Today is the anniversary of her birth - her birthday.

Today I will thank God for the gift that she is in my life.

Today - I can say that I truly believe now - that some people really do stay in our lives forever.

Happy Birthday Friend.