Friendship

My truest and dearest girl friend the world over, lives on the other side of Canada in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. I have known her for thirteen years and she is my sister handpicked for me by God himself.

We talk almost daily over email and monthly by phone. We know every detail about each other; past, present and future. Hopes, dreams, fears. She loves me in spite of my neuroses and I love her for her courage, her genuineness and her beliefs. I love her character. She is someone I never tire of hearing from, a constant source of love and renewable energy for me. I feel blessed to have this one true friend.

I do have many other friends I adore. I've got a mother, sisters, aunts and cousins, that are bright, witty, outgoing, subdued, loving, generous, brilliant, fun-loving, ambitious and unconditional... but there is something very special about my soul-sister.

She has loved me through my lowest. Bad men; poor choices; self-loathing. She has celebrated my triumphs like they are her own. Birth of babies; love and marriage; professional success. She has cried with me, and for me, when I couldn't cry anymore. She has my secrets locked in a vault in her soul and protects them with an allegiance as strong as any on earth. She has coached me through heartache and anger, pushed me to grow and allowed me to be weak when I needed to. She expects nothing in return from me. This relationship is one I choose to carry with me until my last breath on earth.

It is no wonder that this friendship evokes a quiet jealousy from my husband. I love him heart and soul; he is my sweetheart and I love spending my life with him. Given a choice, I would spend my days with no other. But, there is something magical about my chosen sisterhood that I cannot explain. It is powerful fuel to me. The friendship continually fills me up. There is NOTHING depleting about it. Even when she needs me, it has never drained me.

With husbands and children, sometimes those relationships can leave women exhausted. The constant care, love, nurturing, feeding, cleaning; the constant 'bucket-dipping'. NOT THAT I WOULD EVER CHANGE IT! My family are my heart and soul, and what I do for them, I do willingly. But women are often drained by motherhood and marriage; and friendship can be the healing elixir that replenishes us and helps fill the cup.

There is positive power in the unity and oneness of female relationships. Women are nurturers, encouragers, motivators. They empower those around them by infusing them with love, good words and tender actions. Imagine what the world would look like if every woman had ONE friend that filled them up; healed thier spirit and challenged them to be the best person (mother, wife, human being) they could possibly be.

Aaaah, the philosopher in me.