By Wendy C 
I never thought the girl I used to hang out with in Grade 5, talking about Trolls and Tamagotchis with, would be the woman I now go on weekly walks with, talking about lack of sleep and perimenopause.
I never thought the girl I used to sit beside in elementary school would end up being my maid of honor, and I hers, and that I would end up babysitting her toddler one day.
I never thought the girl I used to have sleepovers and watch Blockbuster movies with back in high school would be the woman I set up playdates and trips with because our kids are all the same ages.
These girls I befriended back in school? I had no idea they would still be a part of my life all these years later—lifelong friends and confidantes.
I never realized how a conversation with them could help break up the monotony of day-to-day motherhood. That it is the antidote to the mental overload I am feeling at the time. That our shared struggle makes me feel less alone.
I also didn’t realize how much I needed their interaction until weeks went by without it. And then, when we finally met up, the conversation picked up as though it never left off. Weeks and months of information crammed into a short time. We didn’t solve any problems. We didn’t come to any solutions. But we shared and connected over our experiences.
And I left our conversation feeling rejuvenated.
Because we all know there are certain kinds of personal information that only certain people in your life are privy to. It’s the kind of information that only those who truly know you and get you will understand when you tell them.
The extent to which you share yourself with someone isn’t necessarily measured by the years you have known that person, but when it is, that makes the relationship all the more special.
Friends may come and go, but the friends who have been with you since childhood? They are truly irreplaceable.
by Carolyn Moore 
by Amber Kuipers 
by Christina Crawford 
