Girlfriends...Better than Therapy

No matter how much you love your husband and children there will always be room for Girlfriends.  That's right....with a capital "G".  You know what I'm talking about.  As an only girl growing up in a house full of boys and then a mother raising a house full of boys there was a part of me that always felt just a little gypped I didn't have a sister or two.  I would imagine playing dress up, doing hair together and all those other things sister's do.  Because it was all in my head we were best friends and cohorts in crime together.  But, I guess God knew me best and decided that I had enough estrogen and drama to fill any house.

There's something wonderfully therapeutic about getting together with your besties.  I've been so lucky in my life to have Girlfriends that are sisters in my heart.  When my boys were little and the house was in a constant state of chaos I found a group of Girlfriends at the local needlework shop.  Every Thursday night we would gather together, bring out our current Needlework project and laugh.  Mostly they laughed as I shared with them the chaos of raising sons.  Today, 20 years later you can still find me stitching on Thursday nights with some of my dearest friends.  There have been new friends come and we just keep adding chairs to the table.

Girlfriends share like that.

Then there are the Girlfriends who get dirty with you.  The ones who camp in a tent with you.  Every summer for 15 years I found myself at Girls Camp.  What a wonderful week that always was.  I never went as anyone's mom so it was the ultimate girl time for me.  You know that Girlfriend who will stay up all night talking with you?  There's nothing quite like lying in a tent in a sleeping bag solving all the worlds problems until the teenage girls in the tent next to you say, "You guys need to be quiet!! You're keeping us awake!!  You're laughing too loud!!"

Girlfriends laugh like that.

When I ventured into the business world my Girlfriend helped show me the ropes of Real Estate. She patiently answered a million phone calls and shared her tools and knowledge with me.  I'm thankful everyday for her unselfishness on my behalf.

Girlfriends support like that.

When I started networking my business I found a group of wonderful women who welcomed me into their midst.  We met every week to build each other up and learn together.  The economy was crashing and so was my business and without these women I wouldn't have survived.  They are close to my heart.

Girlfriends build and strengthen like that.

Then there is the BFF Girlfriend.  The one who has known you the longest and shared with you the highest highs and lowest lows.  That true friend who knows where the bodies are buried and most likely helped you dig.  The one who telepathically knows you're having a rough time and calls just at that moment when you are falling apart in your car while driving on the freeway.  This friend will rescue you on the side of the road with a can of gas, buy your children shoes because you're broke and bring you a huge slice of chocolate cheesecake just because.   The BFF will truly be your rock and in return you will be her rock when she needs you.

Girlfriends love each other like that.

I'm not sure that husbands and children will ever understand the importance of Girlfriends.  They won't get why we need a weekend away with "The Girls".  They will be left standing in the kitchen staring down a box of Mac N'Cheese as we run out the door for "Girls Night."  But, they will learn and adjust.  Girls Night will become Fort Night at home.  They will learn to master the art of Taco Bell and eventually come to understand that when we come home happy from laughing until our cheeks hurt that Girl Time is what we need to recharge our batteries.  We don't love them less, in fact it helps us appreciate them more.

To all the women in my life who are my Girlfriends.  You have all blessed my life. I look forward to sharing, laughing, supporting, building and strengthening each of you as you have done to me.

And......I will definitely drag your body to Nordstrom!!