Five-Minute Friday: Community

I'm having dinner with my friend tonight.  I've known her since I was quite possibly a size 2 with no lines on my face and a shockingly optimistic view of how life was going to unfold.  We had little girls who were preschoolers and a little girl (me!) and a little boy (her!) who were a couple of years younger than that.  Which means they were babies.  Literally.  If my Kate was four then my Kari was two.  

TWO!

Anyway, that's a long time to have a friend.

And she isn't the only friend I've had longer than I kept that alleged unlined face.  I know I've mentioned it before, but I have the somewhat unusual blessing of having a handful of friends who have known me through all the awkward and heartbreaking and bliss.

They know my favorite treat when I'm frazzled, and how to pray for me without me having to say it out loud.  They know where my heart lies and understand when I'm very quiet for a very long time.


We have giggled and cried and cracked wise in ways that no one else would find amusing.   We've embarrassed our children, and supported our children, and then embarrassed them some more.

We've celebrated, and mourned, and shopped, and prayed, & celebrated some more :)

I can see them every day and have new things to talk about and I can neglect them for weeks and weeks - and weeks - on end and pick up our conversation right where we left off.

For the life of me I can't imagine how I would have survived without them, and I'm so thankful that my community of people is so completely my norm,

that I don't even have to try.

Happy (Five-Minute) Friday!