"I get by with a little help from my friends" --John Lennon

I have been blessed with some of the most amazing friends. Sometimes I am just blown away thinking about the extraordinary people that have walked into my life. I would like to tell you about some of them. This is, of course not a comprehensive list, but these people are the ones who are the regulars. The ones who are there for me day in and day out. In order to protect their privacy I'll label them with pseudonyms. I love each of them to bits and here's why in no particular order.

Butterfly

This girl and I have been together since we were 5 years old. We had a secret club house, hundreds of sleepovers, and common crushes. She knows more about me than maybe she should--haha. She is one of the friendliest people on the planet. I've never seen anyone with such a gift for getting along with EVERYONE she meets. The best part is our friendship has never waned in the 30 years we have known each other. I fully expect to have her as a room mate when we finally check into the old folks home.

Jillaroo

I got to know this lady through Cam. Her husband is his best friend. There is always something magic about all members of the couples getting along. A lot of times after a spouse dies, you hear about the friendship with married people ending. Both of them treat me as much as a friend as ever, even though Cam isn't here and I love them for it. Over the years we have gotten closer and I have loved getting to know her. We have dreams about backpacking in Europe together once the kids are grown. We both love to travel. She is funny, kind, talented, beautiful, and has the BEST laugh I know of.

Fellow Book Bum

We started out as colleagues and graduated to close friends. Books are our favorite commonality I think. Talking about books, trading books, recommending books are what we do. Major trials have made their way into both of our lives and we have been able to see each other through those. She is one of the smartest people I know, an exceptional writer, a phenomenal artist, and a fantastic new mother. One of my biggest jealousies is her beautiful house that she help build and design every square inch of.

Creative Genius

I was fortunate to get to know this lady through work. We are very different, but we get along amazingly. She feels like the older sister I never had. You can find us hitting the pavement at 6am several times a week. Running is a past time we both love. She is addicted to the creative process and is constantly producing beautiful works of art, theatre, clothing, and helping others with all things artistic. Hitting the movies is something we do sometimes, and wish we had more time to do.

Sounding Board

The most interesting fact about this friend is that she is old enough to be my mother. In fact, she IS the mother of one of my friends. I love the gospel and life discussions I have with her. We solve family, community, and world problems during the class breaks at the junior high, often returning to our classrooms brushing away tears.  She is a wonderful confidante, problem solver, scientist, musician, and scriptorian. Love her!

Should-a-bin-sisters

Interestingly enough, our friendship got started through visiting teaching. At first glance we didn't have much in common. She was single, I was married with children. She was crafty, I was sporty. Through the years we have developed a bond that I cherish above many things. I found out later that she had a sister exactly my age who died as an infant. I feel like her parents have accepted me as a substitute sister for her until they can be together again. We have celebrated joys and heartaches together, worked side by side, and spent many an hour pouring our hearts out. When we go places together many people think we are sisters. Now she is married with children and I am single. She has helped me so much with that tough transition. When there is something big going down she is the first one I call. I am convinced that we knew each in the pre-existence. She is pretty, kind, patient, creative, and is the best listener around.

Couldn't do life without these girls! To quote a favorite line from my favorite musical, WICKED:

"Because I knew you, I have been changed for good!"