Friends...

I'd like to talk about my friends today.

I consider myself extremely fortunate that I have a number of people in my life who I love and who love me in return. Over recent months I have come to realise that this is truly the most important thing you can have. Love, of any kind, supercedes anything else in this life, and if you go through your life being loved, even if it is only by one person then you have suceeded.

So, my friends. I have mentioned before that I have 3 that I would consider "bests".

Friend Number 1
My oldest and dearest friend, the person who at 7 years old came knocking on my door asking if I would like to go to her birthday party. Over our 22 years of friendship we have been through so much together. She is amazing, strong, intelligent, witty, sharp, sarcastic and giving. She has held my hand and had my back through all of the bad stuff in my life and cheered me on and supported me through all of the good. She sets high standards, not just for herself, but for me too. In short she makes me a better person. And when I worry she will judge me for something I have done or am contemplating, she hugs me and tells me that she loves me. This woman, this incredible woman, loves and adores her friends, her family and most of all, her son. It had never occurred to me that she would be such a natural at motherhood, but it's fair to say that she puts me to shame. She is a SAHM with her lovely little boy and she has absolutely and completely blossomed since taking on the hardest job in the world. To see the love that pours from her face when she looks at her son makes me realise that she is, quite possibly, one of the best people that I know.

Friend Number 2
My closest ally in all that I do. The woman who is so like me in so many ways it becomes quite scary at times. She understands me, almost like no one else can understand me because inevitably, whatever we go through, somehow, someway, the other one of us has experienced it already or is going through it too. The strength of character this woman has is immense. She sent me an email recently thanking me for my friendship, she had been through a tough time and I was there for her, as I will always be for the rest of my life, regardless of where time or life takes us. Her email said that it was at times like this that she realised how well I know her, and I do. It was reading that email that I realised that I do know her, as she knows me, and how we will know each other that way for the rest of our lives. She is grieving at the moment, and I want to her know that I understand, I empathise and if I could take it away from her, I would.

Friend Number 3
She has not been part of my life for as long as 1 & 2 have, and I know her through 1 & 2, albeit she is not as close to them anymore. 14 years we have now been friends and she is like a sister to me. Her Mother is like a Mother to me and her Husband is someone I love dearly. The happiness she has in her relationship is incredible and it is something I aspire to. They want children but cannot have them naturally. This is a situation that would drive lesser couples apart but to see them together you can see that it actually drives them closer. I cannot imagine how difficult things must be for her and her husband sometimes, but to know that they will be happy together for the rest of their lives, even if it is just them, must hold some comfort for them. It does for me.

I often liken myself and my friends to the SATC girls, but in doing so I have to wonder, who is who?

Friend Number 1 is easy, she is Charlotte, the homebird whose family means the world to her.
Friend Number 2 is closest to Samantha, the beautiful blonde whose fun comes from male attention.
Friend Number 3 would have to be Miranda, she has her "Steve" and yet remains ever the cynic.
And me, well I guess that leaves Carrie. This is a good match for me, the ultimate single girl who is, at heart, just a hopeless romantic.

On the plus side, Carrie and Mr Big ended up together!