Friends

Today, me and my girlfriends from college got together for the day---we don't all live in Lakeland anymore, so its the first time all four of us have been together in quite a while. We had lunch and shopped and talked, typical girl day. I kept soaking in every minute, not wanting the day to come to an end. See, the tragedy is, that most of my close friends don't even live in the same town. We have to settle for texting and phone calls and visits every few months. Don't get me wrong, I have other friends, and I know a lot of people here, but there something about being with people that I have a history with that warms my heart. There is something special about a friendship where you don't have to give a background to every story or try to explain yourself. Friends, where you can say, "remember when..." The kind of friends that you have in each others weddings and would trust with your kids if something were to happen to you. These kinds of friends don't come along very often and I found myself grasping for every last moment as the day went on. As everyone hugged and said goodbye, I found myself tearing up, realizing I hadn't noticed the void until it was filled. My husband grabbed my hand as we walked back inside, and I couldn't help but realize what I had been missing and how my heart has missed days like today. There is something about being with people who know you, I mean really know you, that makes everything seem like its going to be ok.
I needed a day like today so badly. The last few months have really worn me down and I have struggled more than most even know, but being with my girls today was exactly what my heart needed.

If you have a friend or friends like this---text, call, visit, do whatever you need to do--hold on to dear life to those friendships---we all need them, probably more than we know.