history of hers

update on tickets: today amex told me that they wouldnt be able to refund our tickets because amex travel insurance does not allow for airlines experiencing liquidation.

the other day, i had the pleasure of spending time with two women who have known each other since they were eight years old. today, they are in their sixties. i watched them interacting together, and i had so many questions. when they look at the friend do they see the eight year old?

one of the women is the minister who married magnificent and me. helen, my mum's boarding school roommate. the other woman, is her friend, frill. it was a delight to watch these two together. it wasn't the interrupting each others sentences type of friendship, it was more leaning back and smiling while the other spoke. their husbands, smiling and teasing.

after two days together, i asked frill what it was like to have such an enduring friendship. she didn't really answer that bit, but she did say it was so strong because they never lived "in each other's pocket". 

the next day, i was reading a website i frequent. a poster was asking prayers for her mum and her best friend, who had just been diagnosed with leukaemia. the poster wrote so eloquently about how these women had endured many years together, some good, some bad. my heart went out to those women. so many of their memories lie with the other person. the reassurances, the remembrances. i said i would pray, and i have been. not only will this poster's mum be losing her best friend, she will also be losing a big piece of herself. love can be heartbreaking sometimes.

Comments

[Dad aka gdad Blake]

The heartbreaking side of love is lessened when compared to the absence or ignorance of love. I can appreciate the sadness of losing a loved one but my experience is that the memories of the love outweigh the death of the loved one.

Love to all.....Dad

[Elaine D]

Your post brought a lump to my throat as I thought of the friend I lost a year and a half ago. We thought we'd grow old together but as your Dad says, I'd rather have the memories of the 37 years that we were friends than to have been spared the pain of loss by never knowing her.

[lyns]

My friend Helena and I have been best friends since we were 8 years old. I had just moved to Mechanicsburg and we both were in the same second grade class... we were each other's maid of honor and were married two weeks apart... we even picked out the same dishes... we don't live in each other's pockets either... and have remained best friends since 1984...these types of friendships are rare and beautiful...Someone once told me to always have a friend who knew you when you were young...Helena is that friend and always will be... xo lyns

[Mel]

Your Daddy is so sweet, his comment made my eyes leak.
xxx

[Miss Conception]

What a beautifully written post. I believe that every woman should have one enduring friendship that will change her forever. My best friend and I have been together for 21 years. We met in grade nine and have been stuck to each other since. Women need other women.