Blessing of the Week: Best Friends FOREVER

Once again, I have gone way longer than I intended to without blogging, once again for the best of reasons:

My dear Susan came for a girlfriend visit!  It was truly a lovely time--tea and treats and chatting and walking around seeing things and eating delicious food (we had opportunity to eat out several times during her stay, and we chose well).  DH's parents' motorhome is still here from the summer, so Susan and I had a three-day slumber party out there--even just the pleasure of a good book and good companionship while you are settling down to sleep is so wonderful. 

(And Susan was such a trooper, even though she froze all night long the first night in the motorhome because neither of us would have imagined that all the vents in the motorhome were OPEN, and the little space heater's efforts were pretty much being sucked out to the cold night, and I had given her the "nice" blankets and taken the "old and funky" afghans for myself, and so she was an icicle all night and I was close to warm and toasty--she has forgiven me, I think, because that's what Best Friends do.)

(Oh, and Susan, I realize I kept introducing you to people as "my best friend," which is true, even if several amazing women share the title, and I hope that was not awkward for you, but I could not resist letting people know that this was a *special* visit.  Oh, and every time I did, I thought about how my MIL once lectured me for telling someone in her hearing that you were my best friend--because she thought it was rude to the person I was speaking to, implying that woman was not my best friend, even thought I had only known that woman a few months and she would never have assumed best friendedness--so I also felt a little rebellious every time. ; ) I'm claiming you, woman, for what you are!)

One of the best parts of Susan's visit was how I had opportunities to mix her up with other dear friends in ideal girlfriend situations!  First there was a mending party, and Susan and I got to hang out with my dear Rosa at the home of another lovely woman, sipping tea, sewing buttons and chatting like old biddies, and every time one of us completed a mend, she would hold up her victory and the rest of us would admire it and applaud her accomplishment.  And then one evening my dear Becky came by and the three of us lounged in the motorhome and snacked and laughed.  Doing such pure girlfriend things with these lovely friends was like the beauty of tea and dark chocolate together--the combination just brings out the tastiest things about each, making the experience of them even more enjoyable.  In other words, I was in girlfriend heaven.

(Oh, and just so you all know, when I was growing up my earliest best friends were boys, and I valued my boy friend relationships more than my girl friend relationships, probably because I had sisters and no brothers, so somehow the boy friends seemed more special.  And I thought girls were meaner than boys, and often less interesting in the things they wanted to play.  I always did have at least one female BF, though, and then all of a sudden in high school I ended up with three BFF's--Susan, Mina and another Susan.   And then in college I was in a co-ed dorm that arranged the rooms in "suites" and my suitemates became my great friends, so much that we managed to live together in some fashion all four years.  And then as a young married in CO I met a fabulous group of other young married women, and then when we moved to CA God gave me a smaller but even more fabulous group of women. . . . And somewhere along the way, I went from not valuing girlfriends much to being a huge champion of them!  And somewhat of a connoisseur.  ; )

The long weekend with Susan ended with a day and overnight in San Francisco--which took the feelings of girlfriendhood and being a grownup and freedom to a whole new level.  And it has been amazing this week to notice how much I am rejuvinated in spirit, being a patient, purposeful mommy and a much more content wife.  When I spoke with Becky for a few minutes by phone yesterday, and said how great my spirit/mommying/wifery was this week, she pointed out that the time away was obviously good for all those things.

DH, take warning note.

My fellow moms, you all have a special place in my heart, and I am praying for you all this week, that you would find peace and contentment and refreshment this week however you can; that the Good Lord would surround you with life-giving relationships; and that you would be encouraged in your mommying and wifery as I have been.  I am so, so blessed, ladies, and I pray for your own blessing and renewal.  Much love to you all!