Girl Time!

I went to a ladies Christmas tea this past weekend; I had been looking forward to it all year long! One of my best friends organizes a tea every year at Christmas for a small group of ladies. Sometimes it's at her beautiful home, and sometimes it's at a tea house. This year we went to Lady Anne's Tea House in Stuart (http://www.ladyannstearoom.com/).

The tea isn't just about having tea together; it's a time to fellowship, to eat delicious food, to share presents, and to relax in an atmosphere that is totally filled with Christmas spirit. A time to laugh, share stories, and just catch up. I always come away from this special time together refreshed. I look forward to it every year at this time. We actually already reserved our date for next year at the same place! 

My first bestie, Kathy, 1969

Like I said, it's more about friendship than anything else. You know, I wasn't one of the popular girls during my school years. I was actually the “geeky” one, the one the other kids made fun of. I was painfully shy, pretty smart; had freckles & red hair, wore glasses, and didn't dress in the most stylish of clothing. I wore whatever my mother bought me. I don't have very fond memories of my school days. To say I didn't have many friends is an understatement. But there was one friend I had, who was my neighbor. We met when we were 7 & 8 years old. We were besties. We shared our childhood together until I was 15 and moved away to another state. I thought I would just die at the time. We kept in touch even though we were so far away from each other. We visited occasionally, but led lives now separate from each other. Eventually we both got married, had kids, and we actually lost touch for a few years. She found me again one day, many years later, to tell me of the death of her father. We reconnected again and it felt like we had never lost touch. I am so very glad to have her in my life once again, and now that we're both grandmas we get to share our grandchildren together.

I've a handful of close friends who mean the world to me. I know a lot of people, but the handful of women I call close friends, they're a pretty incredible group of women. They've been there for me through some pretty tough times. Even though there was little they could do for me as my son was on the brink of death on and off for 16 months, I knew I could count on them for whatever I needed. When I was reeling from the divorce from my first husband, my childhood best friend flew down to be with me as I faced my first Christmas alone after being married 12 years with 2 little children to take care of. I couldn't hardly get out of bed in the mornings, and had no desire to celebrate any holiday. But she came to be with me, to hold my hand, to let me cry on her shoulder, and helped me bring a tree home and decorated it with us. And another close friend, whom I met when our children were little, helped get me through the ordeal of my divorce. There were times I could hardly breathe, never mind eat. Most days I would spend with her at her home while she comforted me, cried with me, and even fed me. If I wasn't at her  home, I was on the phone with her. Many years later, it was I who was doing the same for her, as she went through the same ordeal. There are too many stories to tell about all the special times I've shared with the ladies whom I call my closest friends.  These are the women I can count on to be here for me in good times and bad; the ones I belly laugh with over silly stuff like pink lipstick at bedtime and "resoaring my stole"; the ones I cry with, and the women I share life's journeys with. They are true gifts from God and I would do anything for them as well. I hope they each know how very special they are to me. 

I truly hope that you all have friendships to treasure, besties to laugh and cry with and to share your journeys with! There's nothing like "girl time" together!