I Am Thankful For...

In my group of girlfriends, generally referred to as "the girls," we all have our specific roles which fill out the group. Let me introduce you:

First from left is Erica.

She is brilliant, gorgeous, inquisitive, picky, demanding, specific, loyal and hilarious.

Looking at her, you would never know that she was raised by Willie Nelson's doppleganger or that when I first met her in high school, she wore Army boots and green tights to school over her cut-offs and concert T's. Thank goodness she met me.

Erica is the intellect. (Not that the others are stupid, but you'll see what I mean.) She challenges us to think outside the box, she sends us poetry to ponder every week (and she demands an insightful response) and she opens my eyes to things I never think of in my mommy filled life. Erica and I were roommates in college and had THE BEST TIME, despite being very different personalities. (I still don't know why she puts her bathroom garbage can where she does.) Erica is fiercly loyal to her family and would drop everything if you needed her, which she frequently does.

Next is me. You all know me.

The beautiful bride is Michele.

Michelle is compassionate, sensitive, a talker, a listener, beautiful, stubborn, whiny and wonderful.

Michele is the talker of the group. (Hard to imagine with the rest of us, I know.) If she has a problem, she has to talk it out. (And talk and talk....) But I love this because she knows that communication is the key and always has. At the same time, if I have a problem, I call Michele because she listens like no other. She will listen to the complete story, offer you perspectives that you're too stubborn to consider, and get all riled up when she's knows you've been wronged. (I love this about her.) She brings me back to reality when I get wound up and she makes me laugh. She is endearing and empathetic and is currently studying to be a nurse, just like her mom. (I love this about her too.)

Finally there is Christy.

Christy is loyal, brilliant, stunning, passionate, strong, opinionated, global, overbooked and lovely.

Christy is the Get-'er-done of the group.

Christy's life is chaotic to say the least. She has 6 siblings, countless in-laws and nieces/nephews and is so capable that almost everything falls to her. She can be hard to reach, but if you're in a pinch, she will drop everything and rush to your aid. At any time of day. No matter what is going on in her life. (When I was in labor with Spence, there was talk of a c-section and Chrsity left work in Tacoma and made it to the Tri-Cities in TWO HOURS. She rocks.) Christy's intelligence is staggering at times as she seems to know something about everything, which is really handy, and yet she is compassionate and endearing like no one else. She always knows the exact right thing to say and it never sounds silly or foolish. (A skill the rest of us have not mastered, especially Erica.)

Everyone always tells me how lucky I am to have this group of friends and while I know that's true, I also know how hard we all work to make each other a priority. We are there for the big moments in each other's lives but more importantly, we're there for the little stuff too. I know the good Lord surrounded me with amazing women because I have much to learn and I'm so lucky to have them as my teachers.

At the beginning of this holiday week, they are what I am thankful for.

(Sarah McLachlan always reminds me of my girls, and the song "Answer" particularly so, so enjoy Sarah this week at the PRP.)