Thank you and Thoughts

Wow, I am so impressed and touched by the responses on yesterday's post. I knew I could count on you for some wonderful advice and perspective. Thank you to all my familiar readers, and those that "delurked" themselves (your term, not mine!). I am so grateful to Angie for her wonderful book suggestion... "What Did I Do Wrong? When Women Don't Tell Each Other the Friendship is Over" by Liz Pryor. I quickly requested this book from my library and did a little Amazon search for similar titles. This is what I came up with (above)...they don't seem too self-helpish, more along the lines of stories and real life experiences. Has anyone read these...were they any good?After I posted, I spent the better part of yesterday thinking about my friendships and I came away feeling very blessed. I do not have large groups of friends, that is not my style. I have a handful of very close friends. We have endured many tests of our friendship and we have always persevered.

My handful of friends, in no particular order, include my cousin (above far right), who has become one of my closest confidants and biggest supporters over the years. We had many issues to work through (as many family members do) to get to the point that we are at today...but it was worth every bit of effort. She is amazing and I am very fortunate to have her in my life.

Second is my mom. I know, you might not think she counts as a friend, but hear me out. When we were at Squam a few weeks ago, so many women came up to me and expressed how amazing it was to see how close my mom and I are and that they wished they had that with their moms. This made me thankful and a bit sad. My mom is my greatest supporter and best friend. We share so many common interests and there is no one who understands me better. My greatest wish would be that other women could have that with their mothers. There is no bond greater than that of a mother and daughter.

I have two wonderful friends from my days as a singleton...Beth (second from the left) and Nathaniel. I met Nathaniel in college and we have been friends ever since. He is loyal, sensitive, intelligent and extremely kind. He flew in all the way from the Dominican Republic for my wedding. He is quite a guy. I met Beth when I moved to Chicago...she was my first friend in the big city! She is hilarious, colorful, festive, charming and has great dance moves. We were family to each other in Chicago and still are today (she is my neighbor now, in Boston!).

Lastly, I am blessed to call my husband a friend. We have many a romantic moment, but at the end of the day, it is our friendship that makes our relationship strong. I enjoy spending time with him and we share so many interests and hobbies. He is FUN to be around and that makes for a life full of joy and laughter.

Who are your best friends? Do you have a handful, or a big group? It is nice to think about the people in your life that will always be there to love and support you, it makes the other friendship issues much easier to handle!