Worth Hanging On To

Most of the past few years I heard the phrase "The friends you make now will stay with you for forever." I heard that about high school, and college. And to some extent that was true -- just not about the people I thought it would.



Katie was one of my best friends in high school, and while we're not extremely close any more, we do spend time together a couple times a year. We call and txt from time to time. We remember each other's birthdays. I did know that I would stay close to her, but I never thought that she'd be the only one that I stayed in regular contact with. Our lives have taken us in completely different directions, but we make the effort to stay connected. I love that about her.

In college I had a lot of friends that I thought would have been forever-friends. Especially those I went to church with. And some of them are. We're distant, but still try to stay in contact. A lot of them I still love very much, but we just don't have much to say to each other any more. Not without bringing up issues that none of us really want to address.

But out of all my friends there, the one I feel the closest to now, was one I went to school with (not church) and really considered more of an aquaintance than a friend. I thought she was nice, and enjoyed talking to her, but our circles rarely crossed, especially by the end. Kris Marie and I reconnected via MySpace about the time she became pregnant with her adorable little girl and I have truly enjoyed getting to know her. I trust that this is a friendship that will continue to grow as our little ones grow.




No one ever told me, though, that the closest and best friends I could ever hope for would spring from a message board with over a thousand random members. I joined a popular mom's message board group for women pregnant and due in August 2006. I didn't join until after our children were born, and even after I did I had a hard time getting involved. But very slowly that huge message board developed several private spin-off boards. And after several different spin-offs that I followed from one group to another, I discovered myself surrounded by the best of the best, at least in my humble opinion. Three girls on that board have made their homes in my heart. They are as close as family. Jammie, Nikki, and Joyce are my confidants, the people I call/im when I need support or to vent. We share baby stories, family stories, frustrations, joys, and successes.

Jammie and I bonded very early on through a mutual obsession with Richard Dean Anderson (and subsequently, Stargate SG1). After that discovery, we also learned that our daugthers are very similar (and could be twins when you look at them), we have a TON in common, and that we both are military wives. This lady has been my rock through many things in the last 2 1/2 years. I couldn't ask for a better friend, counselor, or accountability partner.

Nikki's son and my daughter should never be allowed to be in the same room together, as their personalities are so similar that before long, the entire room would be destroyed and we would be having to replace all breakables and some of the furniture. Nikki and I may not always agree on politics, but we share a faith and a sense of morals and ethics that keep us on the same page. We encourage each other and lean on each other for support. And I love our no holds barred relationship -- there is truly no such thing as too much information between us.

I can honestly say that I'm not sure exactly when Joyce and I started becoming close. It just sorta happened. And I love that it did. She is another military wife, which makes it so easy to relate. I know that she made an impact on my husband the day I was 37 weeks pregnant with Alex and hadn't checked in with the girls online so she went out of her way to call me and check on me. She is so extremely caring and generous. But she won't hesitate to kick my butt into gear on cleaning if I ask her too! She is my resident ass kicker, or RAK, since she is truly the person that inspires me to keep working even though I have no desire to keep it clean. I need that. She also is a person that can make me laugh and feel better, no matter what else is going wrong.

All three of these women I share a faith with, books with, and constantly find us to have more of a like mind than I realized the day before.




Out of the 5 people I just listed, I have come to find that all five of them are what's truly worth hanging on to in my life (of course my family falls into that category too, but that's not what I'm talking about here). Their friendships and support carry me through the day to day crap. I know that God placed each one of them in my life in order to be a "forever-friend" as each one of them shows Him to me.

The last few weeks/months have been extremely difficult on my family and have reminded me to look around to see what I have that is truly worth hanging on to and fighting for, but these 5 have been the constants that I needed. I don't know what I'd do without them.

I love you girls!