i thank, and am thankful for, my friends

i had been feeling a bit like a solo act
on the outside
fringes of friendships

and then you all came here
and brought life and love into the spaces of my life here that can't be filled by husbands and children
unoccupied spaces
i've felt so far away
and that has changed

i am grateful for growing older
for knowing the value of these long friendships
not wrinkled by time
but fresh and alive and joyful
and each stage in this life and the moments i've shared with all of you
are so rich
and i thank you friends

i walk by these places we've now shared
and these places that were distant and far and hours away
and you've filled them up
i walk by ben ben
and i smile
the rejected fortune
a second more fitting one
the lone egg roll
and now you are all on my walk home from work

i can sit down on my beaten, child-worn couch and stretch out with a glass of wine
and remember how our talks brought the sunrise
a night of chat, wine and bringing in a new day together
i can't remember the last time i chose to stay up all night and greet the dawn with a red-wine-stained smile

all these simple, valuable moments - too many to put into words but tucked gently into memory
i thank you
i am thankful
and you have given me more home
by being here to share it :)

i love my 40yr old friends.
and this is my love letter to cherishing long friendships that continue to evolve and grow with truly amazing, strong, and fantastically beautiful women