Friendships

I recently read an article titled “If a friendship can last 7 years then it’ll last a lifetime.” Well…. let me tell you about a friendship that has lasted for decades.

It’s a group of ladies who’ve known each other since childhood. It all started with 2 of us who met in 3rd grade, then most of us were added in junior high, and a few joined us during our high school days. By our senior year we were a confirmed group of girls who were solid in each other’s lives. No 2 of us were alike but we still formed an unbreakable bond that life has never broken.

Now I’m not saying we didn’t have arguments or that we always agreed on everything. Just deciding back then our plans for a Saturday night was always a battle, we were all stubborn in our own way. We always had a good time no matter where or what we were doing, and even during difficult times we had each other’s backs. Only within our group were we able to disagree or not like each other for a time. But if anyone outside our group upset any one of us, then watch out!

This last couple of days at my house, a few of us got together for a much needed girl’s weekend. Immediately upon seeing each other we were back to laughing and talking as if we were those same girls of yesterday. It was just so nice to see them and I felt young again, but there were a few differences from our days together in the past. Instead of getting all dolled up to go out for the evening, we stayed in and watched movies in our comfy clothes and talked about our current life situations. Instead of sharing clothes, makeup and other possessions, we were passing around our reading glasses just to see the remote control. Instead of deciding on a type of pizza to eat, we were telling each other about what foods that didn’t ‘agree’ with us anymore. Instead of giggling about boys, we complained about our husbands who don’t pick up after themselves. Instead of dancing and singing to our favorite songs, we were moaning and groaning about how much our bodies hurt each time we had to get up out of our comfortable chairs. Instead of getting upset about how our parents won’t let us do anything, we now appreciate the advice they tried to give us and we also understand the looks of worry they had for our generation.

They say you can’t make new old friends. These ladies and I have experienced all the true ‘firsts’ in life together. We have been together during all our good times and the bad times. We’ve celebrated our graduations, the marriages, the birth of our children, and our the promotions in our careers. We’ve cried together over that first heartbreak and over the divorces, infertility and having to start over again in our careers. And even too early in this life we had to come together to say goodbye to the first of us who left this world too suddenly. No matter what, when or where, we can always count on all of us to simply just be there for each other. There’s nothing that gives me a greater peace than knowing that.

In your lifetime you will make lots of different friends along the way. Some will grow to be just as close and some may be the ones who drift in and out of your life. All are important as to who you will become. Those relationships will help to define who you will become. God may choose your family but you get to choose your friends.

My life has taken many turns on this journey and if I hadn’t known just 1 of these beautiful women, I truly believe I wouldn’t have survived it all. They’ve each had a positive effect on me and I look forward to the shared experiences of our continued lives together. I love them all unconditionally and always will. We will continue to be strong together and take whatever life has left for us, whatever that may be, because I just don’t know.