“You can go through life and make new friends every year - every month practically - but there was never any substitute for those friendships of childhood that survive into adult years. Those are the ones in which we are bound to one another with hoops of steel.” ― Alexander McCall Smith

“I love us!” she always declares when we are together! Yes, we chime in with wholehearted agreement. The “us” includes my two beloved friends and myself. These gals are the gems of my life and one of my greatest treasures.

I met my oldest friend when we were in elementary school in fourth grade. She and I forged a bond that has stood the test of time, we have been there for one another through the many stages of life: from gawkily girls, teens with broken hearts, high school and college to finally finding true love, jobs, marriage, motherhood, now coming full circle to our own children doing the same!

In my twenties, when I met my spouse, I also met my other dear friend through his circle of friends. She was dating my husband-to- be’s best friend and through our commonality, we developed a relationship. When I introduced her to my friend, our trio was born!

Around the time we all became mothers we originated a “girl’s night out”, realizing we needed a break from motherhood, work and the demands of life! That tradition has been carried forth for over twenty years now. Our wonderful trio has gone on road trips, saw countless movies and plays, have had a multitude of shopping outings, hundreds of dinners and lunches, laughed, cried, counseled, listened, and cheered each other on. We pretty much like doing the same things and while each of us have our own unique style, it is not unusual for us all to pick out the same item while shopping or even dining!

Our most favored activities is craft day! One of us will find a great project, proposing it to the group, we gather supplies then we create. Sometimes the undertaking is a bust, like the twisted paper pumpkins we attempted, realizing later our paper was too thick! We had a good laugh over that one! There is always a Christmas craft; last year we transformed vintage bottles into adorable snowmen! This year’s creation was embellished bottlebrush trees in vintage containers. As I decorate my home for the holidays, I smile, recalling past projects that accent my home and fill my heart with fond memories! We truly cherish our time together our bond strong and meaningful!

My bestest friends, I love them so… as I count my Christmas blessings; they are at the top of my list, paramount to my happiness and bringing much joy to my life.

“If you have two friends in your lifetime, you're lucky. If you have one good friend, you're more than lucky.” ― S.E. Hinton

Happy Holidays from Karen Soldwisch

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