Enduring friendships
This weekend has been a lesson in enduring friendships. On Friday night, we went out with friends that have been in my life for about 22 years. I met my girlfriend when I was working as a nurse at a hospital in Denver and she was pregnant with the now 21 year old that we were celebrating. It is an effortless friendship...we pick up where we left off and when we see each other...and miss each other when we don't.
Another gift was tonight. We went to a friends house for dinner. Two of us made the main dish, one made the salad, and one made dessert...sort of like the puzzle of dinner just arrived with the group. When we arrived at the house, it was like were meant to be there. We ladies met when our kids were starting school...learning to navigate in a world that wasn't under our control anymore. We were afraid for them...but excited at the same time. We met at the classroom door in the mornings and afternoons and began to form a friendship. When one of the kids was having trouble adjusting to the school, the routine or the teacher, we would try to offer suggestions and help one another. We spent hours on the playground talking while our kids played. We became friends.
Then it was on to middle school and the kids were becoming there own people. At this point, we needed to have a "ladies night" to talk about kids, husbands and our lives. We watched as our lives changed. Our kids got older, our jobs changed as mothers and wives and we were also navigating our future. We began to notice differences in our parenting styles, what mattered to each one of us individually and sometimes we just didn't agree. But, that didn't really matter. We now had a bond that could with stand the differences of human nature. When our kids no longer hung out, ran in different groups or even went to different schools, we still tried to get together. We began to realize that we needed each other. And, when life got in the way, and we were down to yearly Thanksgiving dinners...we still didn't miss a beat. We were now a bonded group that no one could separate.
Last Thanksgiving, we gathered at my house with our kids...it ended up being 19 of us and gave thanks. We took turns naming what we were thankful for. We talked of our enduring friendship and what it means to us now. We looked at each other's kids and told them how proud we were of them of the young men and women they had become...and meant it. We remembered when they were little and laughed at the times we had together. We were thankful for each other and the ease it takes to be together. I think we realized that we had all changed too but our friendship is just richer, deeper, more meaningful. We all have kids in college, changing priorities and different goals and now we are now growing older together.
I know these woman and their men and I love them. I get excited when we are all going to be together...almost like a date with a sweetheart. They have seen me crying at sad times, rejoicing at good times and have supported me through both. Our friendship just endures. Who knew when we were standing at the kindergarten door staring through the glass that we would be so attached to each other now...who knew...but thank God.
We'll tawk tommorrow,
I love you all,
Terry
Another gift was tonight. We went to a friends house for dinner. Two of us made the main dish, one made the salad, and one made dessert...sort of like the puzzle of dinner just arrived with the group. When we arrived at the house, it was like were meant to be there. We ladies met when our kids were starting school...learning to navigate in a world that wasn't under our control anymore. We were afraid for them...but excited at the same time. We met at the classroom door in the mornings and afternoons and began to form a friendship. When one of the kids was having trouble adjusting to the school, the routine or the teacher, we would try to offer suggestions and help one another. We spent hours on the playground talking while our kids played. We became friends.
Then it was on to middle school and the kids were becoming there own people. At this point, we needed to have a "ladies night" to talk about kids, husbands and our lives. We watched as our lives changed. Our kids got older, our jobs changed as mothers and wives and we were also navigating our future. We began to notice differences in our parenting styles, what mattered to each one of us individually and sometimes we just didn't agree. But, that didn't really matter. We now had a bond that could with stand the differences of human nature. When our kids no longer hung out, ran in different groups or even went to different schools, we still tried to get together. We began to realize that we needed each other. And, when life got in the way, and we were down to yearly Thanksgiving dinners...we still didn't miss a beat. We were now a bonded group that no one could separate.
Last Thanksgiving, we gathered at my house with our kids...it ended up being 19 of us and gave thanks. We took turns naming what we were thankful for. We talked of our enduring friendship and what it means to us now. We looked at each other's kids and told them how proud we were of them of the young men and women they had become...and meant it. We remembered when they were little and laughed at the times we had together. We were thankful for each other and the ease it takes to be together. I think we realized that we had all changed too but our friendship is just richer, deeper, more meaningful. We all have kids in college, changing priorities and different goals and now we are now growing older together.
I know these woman and their men and I love them. I get excited when we are all going to be together...almost like a date with a sweetheart. They have seen me crying at sad times, rejoicing at good times and have supported me through both. Our friendship just endures. Who knew when we were standing at the kindergarten door staring through the glass that we would be so attached to each other now...who knew...but thank God.
We'll tawk tommorrow,
I love you all,
Terry
Comments