To all my girlfriends, past and present:
At some point, we were friends, maybe even best friends.
We met in our neighborhood, in preschool, in kindergarten or first grade. We grew up together. We played Barbies, dress-up, and make-believe. We ran outside, drew with chalk, and rode our bikes until the sun went down. All we knew was how to have fun. Life was easy. We had that sweet childhood innocence. We couldn’t wait until we could play together again.
Maybe we met in grade school. We found each other and formed our own clique. Maybe we played sports together, studied together, or found some common ground that bonded us. We went through awkward phases together, our first crushes, the shows we couldn’t get enough of and even some hard times. We had our first fight and shed some tears. We said mean things, but we always forgave each other. We stood up to boys together and whatever group we were in, we stuck together. We started to come into our own as young women.
Maybe we met in high school. This new world was exciting and a bit frightening. Homework was intense and relationships were complicated. We had mutual friends but we were the closest. We went through many new firsts together. We promised we would always be friends.
Maybe we met in college. We were in the same dorm or the same class. Maybe we had the same major or joined the same sorority. We struggled with living life away from home or we embraced it together. We found our independence. We had serious relationships and serious heartbreaks. We became adults. We prepared for the real world. We knew we would always be friends.
Maybe we met at our first job or our fifth. Maybe we met through someone we dated or the person we married. Maybe we met at church, at a social function, or through other mutual friends. Maybe we met in a mom group, on a play date, at daycare, or through our child’s school.
However we met, we did. We became friends, maybe even best friends, and that stuck with us. We built common ground. We shared really tough things like the hardships of marriage, losing parents, and the struggles of being moms.
Maybe we are no longer friends. Maybe we lost touch. Maybe we connected on social media but it would never again be the same.
But please know this one thing: whatever our connection was and whenever it happened, it was for a reason.
You were placed in my life for a reason. And for that, I will forever be thankful. I will never forget the times we had together. I will cherish them. I will look back on them fondly and with love.
Maybe we are still friends. Maybe we are the best of friends. So please know this one thing: I am so grateful for you. I am blessed you are in my life and I get to call you my friend. And no matter what, this bond will never change. Even if life gets in the way or time gets between us, we will always find our way back as if nothing has changed.
Most of all, know that I love you. I love you for the friend you are and always will be to me.
You may also like:
I’m So Grateful For My “Always” Friends
Life is Too Short for Fake Cheese and Fake Friends