Girlfriends

Last night five teenage girls spent the night at my house. Hannah wouldn't allow any photos for the blog, but it was cute to peek in her bedroom and see ipod cords tangled with laptop cords and girls sprawled out on the bed, on the floor, and in the chair. They were talking and giggling and occasionally even squealing. It is never a problem having a group of girls here. They disappear upstairs and we rarely see or hear a thing. I tiptoed into the gameroom this morning to try to roust them from sleep. Teenagers are serious about their sleep. Motionless bodies wrapped in quilts...lazy lumps lurking all about my floor. I knew my sunny disposition alone would never lure them fully awake, so I had boxes from the donut shop waiting in the kitchen to bribe them into consciousness. It worked. They hobbled sleepily down the stairs and packed some carbs. I stood in the kitchen with them listening to them talk about their night together and it brought back lots of fun memories of sleepovers and time with my girlfriends when I was younger.

Tonight I had dinner with a group of friends from high school. I graduated from a really small school, and everyone knew everyone in my class of about 65 students. I have stayed in close contact with a handful of those girls, and they are, to this day, some of my dearest friends. We have shared a lot through the years, and our relationships have stood the test of time. Recently, I have had the opportunity to reconnect with a few additional friends from that class that I have not spent time with in twenty years. We met at a mall a few weeks ago and had lunch while our kids played. Tonight, we met for dinner and took a sentimental stroll down memory lane while munching on fancy salads and pizzas with gourmet toppings. Girlfriends are treasured blessings. These particular girls are very special, because we shared a precious season of life together. Here we are, twenty years and many kids later, and we have a genuine fondness and acceptance for each other because of our common past. I want to hear their news, know where life has taken them, and get updated on who they keep in touch with. I want to tell them about my kids and my life and end the evening with a promise to get together again soon.

I can't help but think about those cute girls who were upstairs last night, as well as Hannah's other precious friends who come to call. The ones who leave their flip flops in my entryway and eat my homemade cookies and stay up late on my couch watching Anne of Green Gables for the hundredth time. I know they enjoy each other now, but they have no idea how much fun it will be to look back on these days twenty-some years from now. Will they tell stories about how great their mothers were? :) Maybe. I hope so.

Girlfriends. Such treasured, treasured blessings.