If Your Friends Are There . . .

When the going gets tough . . . you better have a couple of good friends standing by with a pitcher of margaritas. (Did you really think I was going to say ‘the tough get going’?) Not a chance. Friends (and margaritas, come to think of it) are one of the miracles in life. So any time I spend more than a couple of minutes thinking about how blessed I am, one of the blessings that consistently floats to the top of the list is the amazing group of friends that God has given me. If trials and struggles have any saving grace, it’s that going through them have a way of weeding out the casual acquaintances from the call-me-in-the-middle-of-the-night-if-you-need-me true friends. Sometimes those special people are friends that have been with you from the second grade; other times they turn out to be relative newcomers to your address book (sorry, I mean iPhone) who surprisingly step up to the plate just when you need them the most.

Today, I had lunch with someone who’s been around through many of my life’s ups and downs. Like me she married a type-A engineer; like me, she moved overseas to accommodate her husband’s career. We had our kids at approximately the same times in our lives and we’ve lived in the same town for the last fifteen years. We don’t see each other as often as we should but every time we do get together, we pick up right where we left off. That’s one of the best things about a true friend. There’s a shorthand between them that is as comforting as a jelly doughnut and not nearly as fattening.

I’m lucky enough to have a nice house, a decent car and a few bucks in the bank but as I get older, I value my friendships with all the wonderful women in my life more than just about anything. I know it’s asking a lot, but I hope everyone who reads this has friends half as wonderful as MaryAnn, Janet, Donna, Lynda, Susan, Debbie, Katie, Linda, Kirsten, Rene, Lori, and Karyn.

I appreciate all of you more than you’ll ever know.