The Wonderful Women in My Circle
(This is one of those e-mail fwds again, but one that really struck a nerve with me, since my girls have been helping me get through this rough time. I changed it a little to share here. Feel free to do the same.)

When I was little, I use to believe in the concept of one best friend,
and then I started to become a woman. I then found out that if you allow
your heart to open up, the Universe will show you the best in many friends. One
friend's best is needed when you're going through things with your man (Ninka, Andi, Sallie...).
Another friend's best is needed when you're going through things with your
Mother (Buffy...). Another when you want to shop (Sarah, Emily...), share (Jen...), heal (All of them...), hurt (CG), joke (Sandy, Heather...), or just be (again, all...).

One friend will say let's pray together (Aunt Sue and Peggy...), another let's cry together (Andi...), another let's fight together (Buffy and Jen...), another let's walk away together (Karly...) One friend will meet your spiritual need (Heather, Maite...), another your shoe fetish (Liz...), another your love for movies (Andi, Nink...), another will be with you in your season of confusion (Ninka), another will be your clarifier (Buffy...), another the wind beneath your wings (Aeryn, Sprout...). But whatever their assignment in your life, on whatever the occasion, on whatever the day, or where ever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself... those are your best friends.

It may all be wrapped up in one woman, but for many it's wrapped up in several... one from 7th grade (Sandy, Pam...), one from high school (Margo, Leann...), several from the college years (Melody...), a couple from old jobs (Carol...), several from church (ummm...), on some days your mother (well, other people's mothers - Peggy, Helen...), on others your sisters (Mandy, Karly...), and on some days it's the one that you needed just for that day or week that you needed someone with a fresh perspective (Sallie...), or the one who didn't know all your baggage (Bonnie...), or the one who would just listen without judging (Kathy...)... those are good girlfriends/best friends.

Men are wonderful, husbands are excellent, boyfriends are awesome, male friends are priceless... but if you've ever had a real good girlfriend, then you know there's nothing like her. I thank the Goddess for girlfriends, those who honor intimacy, those who hold trust, and those who cover your back when you feel like life is just too heavy. I thank the Goddess for you. The special bond we share, that's unique to us. The words we've shared. The prayers we've sent up. The laughs, the tears, the phone calls, the emails, the shopping, the movies, the lunches, the
dinners, the late night talks, afternoon talks, the weekend talks, all the talking, talking, talking and the listening, listening, listening...

So whether you've been there 20 minutes or 20 years, I love you! Pass this on to the women who make a difference in your life! I just did