Girlfriends

Dear Readers:
I believe in my heart that a close and loyal girlfriend is perhaps one of the three best people to walk the earth with (a great Mother and a great hubby matches her as well). However, putting Mothers and hubbies aside for the moment, a great girlfriend is better than gold. The freedom to say anything silly and/or serious is unmatchable. It is with this friend that you see each other through lifes' storms and celebrate lifes' sun sparkled moments. I am extremely fortunate to have three treasures that mean the world to me. For now, I will write about one of them.

Joanne is her name. We laugh, we cry, we talk, we imagine, we laugh uncontrollably, and we talk some more. I don't know what my life would be without her, and I don't want to know. She recently has purchased a house in the southern part of the state (returning to her roots, as I say). She wants to be nearer to her Dad, as he is in the sunset years of his life. She drives an insane commute to make it work, and I admire her determination to do it all.

A few of her high school friends are living in and around the area where she bought her house. It is her old stompin' grounds, and I hear the glee in her voice when she speaks of her current adventures with the women she grew up with. She's getting the best of both worlds: spending time with her Dad, and her childhood friends, along with making a home nest for herself. She has come full circle.

At times I wish I was part of Joanne's life, the two and a half hours away life, but I'm not. I am her northern friend. However, I am more than willing to share her with the world, because that's where she belongs. She has so much energy and love to give to the universe as she fervently rides that bicycle of hers. I love her unconditionally, and I know it is mutual. That is friendship.