Mama-Friends

I grabbed this shot of Mary and her buddy E tonight before we gobbled down some pizza E's mom and dad had brought up to our house for dinner. Such joy. These two are like sisters.... all the good and the bad! :-) They have their share of fights and disagreements.... snubbing and hurt feelings.... but mostly it's good. They compliment each other well and since both of them are "onlies" (E has no siblings, Mary's are much older), it is a blessing for them to have each other, for our families to be living life together, for us to live just a few doors down from each other. 

The Joy of Friendship - Mary & E January 2012

And they reminded me of another pair - my own "E" and her best buddy "K". They grew up living across the street from each other, spent many nights talking together under the stars in our cul-de-sac.... went to school and church together.... cried together, laughed together.... and yes - fought together. (Seems to be a recurrent theme in girls' friendships, no?!) At one point, probably around 12 I think, K's mom and I called an official "break" on the friendship because they were arguing so much. Now (at 18 and 20) if we mention this time to them,  neither has any recollection of it! They say, "We don't remember ever fighting!!" Ha!! It was WWIII!! K's mom and I often said K should have been mine and my E hers.... their interests and personalities seem to fit with the opposite mother! This shot below is from The Boy's wedding in 2009 when E laid eyes on her buddy and scooped her up into a big hug. You can't fake those smiles that come from the joy of seeing a much-missed girlfriend! 

E and K - Wedding November, 2009

So, thinking of these two friendships led me to dig out this photo of me and the mothers of these girls. This was from a trip to Georgia in 2008 (I think?) when the three of us led a women's retreat on the topic of..... yep, friendship! We saw the sign for this church and couldn't help but stop the car and get a shot of us together. Cute, aren't we?  

The Three Mamas - Somewhere in Georgia, 2008?

I was thinking this morning about how I've heard so many mothers say they just don't have time for relationships because they are so busy with their children. I totally understand that.... I've been there. But by the grace of God, He allowed me to develop some pretty awesome relationships in spite of myself with women through the years. And some of those have directly lead to strong friendships between their children and mine. 

I know the friendships that Mary and E have and Ellen and K have will last through their lifetime. These are women that will share all the joy and sadness of life with my daughters. They will be with them when they walk down the aisle to be married. They will be there with the first baby's birth. And they will be there when they bury their parents. This is a great comfort to me. I love these girls. I love their mamas. I am blessed with blessing upon blessing. 

So, my encouragement to you - bloggy mama-friend out there - is to make time for your own friendships with other women this year. It may be more important to your children than you know. And to my two dear mama-friends in the photo above - I love you! But, you already knew that, didn't you?