Friends are Good for the Soul

Life sometimes gets away from me.  I get so caught up in all of my to dos that I don't slow down enough to enjoy the ride.  As I've gotten older, I have come to treasure my friendships more and more.  That's not to say I didn't care about my friends previously.  It's just that I now have more experience with the heartbreak, loss, and defeat that life can bring and a greater appreciation for how my friends have helped me through those times.  I have firsthand experience with those unexpected curve-balls that life too often throws.  And, in all of those moments, it was the people around me that brought me through.  It was the phone calls where I mostly sobbed and they just listened.  It is the encouraging scripture-filled texts.  It is the hand-made thought-felt cards I received in the mail. 

This weekend I got to spend almost 3 full days with a group of amazing women with whom I have that kind of friendship.  We converged in Chicago from all over the country.  There were 10 of us in total. A few from our group couldn't make it, but they were there in spirit. I have loved and appreciated them since we all met nearly 17 years ago, but for some reason, the longer I know them, the more I am struck by just how amazing they are.  The are each unique and beautiful in their own way.  We are all are so different, yet we come together time and again, and each time we grow closer both as individuals and as a group.  

The time we have together never seems long enough.  I always wish I had more time to visit with them and hear about all of the joys and struggles in their life.  I want to be there more to encourage and support them each day.  Yet, I know that I will return home to my husband and children.  I will go to work, run my children to all of their activities, and make sure my family is fed and cared for.  I will get caught up in all of the running, working, and other to-doing.  I will probably not call those wonderful women as often as I should.  But I will keep them in my thoughts and prayers.  And, when they need me, I will be there.  And when I need them, they'll be there.  It won't be every day, every week, or even every month.  But that doesn't matter.  What matters is the bond we have and the love we share. 

*Top picture is this weekend, and bottom picture is our trip to NYC during fall of 2009.