The Wonder of Friendship

Sadie and her BFF

My kids have good friends. I love my them. For example, there's D. Now, to understand, D. has two parents and her Japanese mother is the least strict of the two.  Their house is orderly and always, always clean. They have 3 very well-behaved children, who play instruments and attend 'advanced' classes. So, when D. showed up at our front door, mere minutes ago,  I cringed a little.  Today is our 'cleaning-up-before-the-big-guy-in-red-arrives' day, but we're all a little slow on the get-go. I've been on my laptop and the wii is heating up. In other words, my house is a mess.
 I invited D.  up to the girls' room to wake them, kicking dirty clothes out of the way as I smiled.  "Don't look in the boy's room" I mentally encouraged.  She didn't flinch or look around in disgust.  She simply stepped over the chaos in the girls' room to rouse them from their wintery slumber.  She's such a good girl. (Plus, she calls me Mom, that endears me to any child.)
I'm grateful my kids have good friends.  Not just that they ignore the mess that is our home, but that they love my children unconditionally.  My kids aren't perfect.  A couple of them are sort of, well, nerds. But, they have friends who have the same values and who make them laugh. There isn't much better than to hear my 17 year-old's belly laugh. Really.
I have good friends, too. Ones that ignore the mess that is my life.  They take me for who I am, when even I have a hard time doing that.  I often look in the mirror and wonder why they love me. I know it's because they don't judge me by my outer shell and somehow, see something inside.
Today, I'll be spending the day with my three best friends.  The ones who've been with me from the start.  My sisters know me better than anyone.  They've seen me at my best and at my very worst. (They've seen me give birth, for heaven's sake.)  We have a shared history that only we understand.  A simple word or phrase can send us into laughter or bring us to tears. It has taken time for us to get here, to a place where we are all bosom buddies.  Our lives are different, for sure. But here we are. In an emergency, theirs is the number I would call.  I know I can depend on them. and, I know they love me. Is there anything more wonderful?

Heidi, Ellen and me.
"When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder- who has a chance against us?" -Pam Brown

Comments

  1. TangledLouDecember 23, 2011 at 9:41 AM

    I never would have imagined how much good friends for my children would mean as much or more to me as my own good friends. My sister is one of my best friends as well. It is such a blessing to not only have a sisters, but have them be such good friends, too. Love this post.

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  2. Larissa T.December 23, 2011 at 10:00 AM

    Beautiful. Friends really are a wonder.
    Glad you have such people in your life.
    Blessings~*

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  3. JudyDecember 23, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    I feel that way about my sisters, too. However, one is really special to me. She's the one I can tell anything to and she's the one who would be there in an instant if I needed her. (The others would, too, but it might take them time to clear their calendars - - my other sister wouldn't care about her calendar)! Yea for sisters!!

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  4. esbbostonDecember 23, 2011 at 11:43 AM

    A life of wonderfulness, of wonderfulmess. I wouldn't want a different one either.

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  5. LiaDecember 23, 2011 at 1:00 PM

    Friends are great! Good, loyal, bosom friends are rare and precious. Happy for your kids, not everyone has this in their life.

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  6. AngelaDecember 23, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    I love your blog Julie! And I agree with every word you said about your sisters. I feel the same way about mine. I'm so glad your kids have great friends, what a blessing
    (even for the littlest kiddo.) Andrew was SO excited when Noah came over yesterday!

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  7. Julie DeMilleDecember 23, 2011 at 8:03 PM

    Thanks to all of you 'internet friends'. What a joy to come home to all your comments.

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  8. Masked MomDecember 24, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    We have been very lucky in the friends of kids department as well. We think of them as extra children...

    And the other part--the having grown-up sisters who can depend on each other part? If there is something more wonderful, I'm not sure what it could possibly be. :)

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  9. meegzDecember 25, 2011 at 9:31 PM

    I love D too:) so glad you have sisters to share with. Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete

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