Better Together

My closest companion for the last three years, my near-daily mamas-and-babies playdater, my social chairman, my cruise director, my park benchmate, my Bunko organizer, my fellow museum marathoner, my confidante, my holiday hostess, my partner-in-crime at the Chick-Fil-A, my pinch hit babysitter, my carpool partner, my pool buddy, my preschool advisor, my most frequent caller, my encourager--my dear, sweet FRIEND--left today.  

For Georgia.  

For good.  

She will be where she needs to be, she will love being there, and yet, she will be so very, very missed here.

As will be her precious girls, who are my children's cherished friends.

{this one stolen from Friend's blog}

Our mama tribe had one last night of Bunko, in our social chairman's honor, and Friend mentioned that she was worried I'd never leave my house again.  The other girls laughed that idea off, but they didn't know me before I knew Friend, back when I was lonely in my role as a homemaker and overwhelmed by this babies in the city life.  Back then, I went many, many a day without leaving the house.

Friend and I met when I was, as she describes it, at least 88 weeks pregnant with Buddy Boy.  We had a couple getting-to-know-you mama dates, and then I went off to have a baby and recover from such. A month later, she called me and said, 'It's time.  We're going on a walk.  We don't have to go far; we don't have to go fast.  But you have got to leave the house.'

Not only did Friend give me the gift of her friendship, but she gave me the gift of the rest of the mama tribe.  Not only did she make me go along on daunting city adventures with the children in tow, but she taught me to enjoy the challenges and to seek them out.

Some mornings, in advance of our meeting times, we would call each other and offer warnings about the children we were about to inflict on one another.  Rashes.  Runny noses.  Whiny voices.  Crankiness beyond belief.  Inevitably, we would agree...let's do it anyway.  It's always better together.

And it was.  It always was.