Friends are Blessings

I am so blessed in my life. I have collected over the years some wonderful girlfriends.

I know, collected is a strange word to use regarding friends. But each one is a precious treasure to me. And some have been in my life forever, and some just a few months, and some are in between those two times. They are all different, like jewels in a jewelry box and each one adds something different to my life.

One of my longest friendships is with my friend Marne. I believe we have known each other for about 28 or 29 years. We have lost touch from time to time, but when we pick it back up, it is like we never had that space of time between us. We are both understanding of each other's busy lives, so this is a great friendship. We only see each other in person every few years for breakfast/lunch. Or should I say, breakfast that turns into lunch cause we sat there for so long talking!! The internet has been a blessing for us because we now email each other every day. This has been going on for a few years now, with a couple of breaks here and there, but then we pick it back up again and talk like we never had a break. Marne and I have been through alot together and we have been blessed to see each others marriages flourish and grow. We both were blessed with great guys and our communication with each other is usuallly regarding what is going on in our families. We cried by email together when our oldest daughters, first hers, then mine, went off to college. Both of us pride ourselves on the relationships we have with our daughters and we share a special bond in that. I love Marne with all of my heart. She is my forever friend that has lasted the test of time. We share our faith all the time, I met her in the parish I grew up in, and we pray for each other always.

The friend that makes me laugh the most, hands down, is my friend Heather. We have known each other for ten years now, and I have seen her grow tremendously as a woman, wife and mother. I was in her wedding party and I was honored to be asked. My thrill though, is watching her grow in her duties as wife and mother of three, soon to be four. But the best thing, is that when I have had a crummy day, all I need to do is talk with Heather and I will be laughing until I cry or pee my pants, or both! We are both on Facebook now, and let me tell you, this has made my day happier. I can see her funny comments all day long now, or we can instant message each other and I swear late at night it is a wonder I don't wake up everyone in my house because I am laughing so hard at something she wrote or said to me through instant messaging. Heather has the ability to make me laugh so hard I start shaking with laughter. My house moves. Yes, she is that funny. You know the kind of person that can always think of something funny to say in an instant. I am still thinking of a comeback and Heather puts out one zinger after the other. She is funny and delightful and very special to me. I was blessed ten years ago by the sound of her beautiful singing voice and through that, God made us friends. I love her so much and she is truly a blessing. She is the sister I always wanted.

The last friend I wanted to talk about today, is my most recent friend. I was so blessed this past September when I decided to bring my kids to the school at the mission and help out with the younger grades. I never expected it to be as much fun as it is. The reason why it is so much fun is the teacher I help. Her name is Pam and she is the most wonderful person. It is always great when you get along with the people you work with, but I never expected to find a new friend. Pam has become a very good friend. We laugh, we cry, we roll our eye balls at the children's meltdowns. I sometimes, quite honestly, want to slap some of the people in her life because I don't think they realize how wonderful she is, how very special she is, what a gem they have in their midst. I know she isn't always treated as well as she should be but maybe that is why God put us together. I love to be around her, and I love to work with her. I love to bug her on weekends and in the evenings with texts and messages on facebook. She is a fun friend and a fun person. She is so good with the kids and has way more patience than I do. She is so kind, one of the most kindest people I have ever met. I am so blessed to be her friend and I look forward to many years of friendship with her. She is an awesome woman and I love her very much.

These are just three friends that I am thankful for today. Women are blessed creatures because we appreciate friends so much more than men do, and we need our girlfriends. Having a husband has taught me that they definitely do not have the same needs as us, and every wise wife learns very early that her husband cannot fulfill all her needs. That's why we have girlfriends. Our girlfriends will listen to us whine and they whine back. Husbands want to fix the problem. After 20 years of marriage my husband STILL does not understand the concept of " I just need to vent". His brain cannot understand that, it just does not compute for him. He wants to beat the tar out of the person who hurt me. I just want to ruminate about it for several hours. There have been a few screaming matches between hubby and I that started out as me venting to him and the next thing you know, I am angrier with him than I was with my original problem. As I sit in my rocker fuming, I think " Why didn't I just call......" fill in the blank with a friend's name. Girlfriends are a necessity of life, they are our kindred spirits.

So let's be thankful today ladies. And give your peeps a hug.