Dining and Friends

Girlfriends are so important, at least in my book! As I get older I often tell younger women not to forget their girlfriends when they get married. Maybe that's because I've never been married to man who is my best friend or maybe it's because I know women need other women to share life's up and downs with. Girl friends like to shop, get together for cooking or canning, sew or make crafty items, go to a 'chick flick', talk about the kids and the day's events with their friends. It's a rare man who will partake in most of these activities with his wife. Men have their place in our lives; we love them, we wanna be with them, we love our families! But, women friends have a place in our lives too.

I don't have a lot of friends, or maybe I do. Each of my friends is different, most of them know one or more of the others, but not all. The friends I am talking about today are relatively new....new friends I've made since I moved here in 1990. Considering that I am retiring in the spring I think of them as 'new'. I still keep in contact with some of my 'old' friends.

Each of my friends very different but some are friends with each other. The past few days I've had lunch with most of them, one day at a time.

On Thursday I had lunch with Kathy. I had something new - Rueben soup - very 'sauerkrauty', I liked it. We try to get together once a month, it doesn't always work. We use to belong to the same church and many years ago she asked if I'd like to attend a retreat with her. It was my first Christian retreat and I loved it. That's when & how I got into stamping and scrapbooking. We had been trying to get together for about 2 months....one morning I finally had time and called her. She answered right away and said she had a really bad morning and was praying for someone to talk to. We chatted and made a date for lunch a few days later. She's a seamstress, has young adult children that she worries about, and is enthusiastic about Jesus.

On Friday I had lunch date with my daughter's mother in law. Bev's a little older, more educated, and a little more worldly than I am. We just hit if off when we met and try to get together once in a while. We talk about how wonderful our 3, shared, grandchildren (and their parents) are. I've been to their 'cottage' a couple of times. We meet 1/2 way, in Appleton (about an hour from here), near the mall. We met at Barnes & Noble (we & our grandkids love books) and we did some other shopping too. We had lunch at an Italian Bistro and she talked to the owner (they have a mutual friend). We have another lunch date next month on the day of our 5 year old granddaughters concert.

Saturday night my grandson talked me into taking him to the restaurant a few blocks away from our house for supper. He's a great kid and I enjoy his company.

On Sunday, after church, my bff invited me to Bible study with her. Grandson J was in Sunday school and it was pouring out and I enjoy it so I went. Our Pastor is a very good teacher and talked in depth, but in language that easy to understand. Pastor even took the time to explain the components of communion to my 8 year old grandson who had a question. Deb and I met when I married her sisters husband.....oh yea, her sister had passed away 2 years previously. Her son and my step son are close in age so we had that in common. Deb and I stamp & scrapbook together, started a our Red Hat group, we go on trips & retreats, we solve the world's problems, we cry, we laugh, and on and on.

Monday's lunch date was with one of my Red Hat friends. Janice got married and moved away over a year ago but still comes to town once in a while. She was having work done on her car and would be in town so I said I'd love to have lunch with her. She is a very bubbly, kind-hearted, giving person. We just chatted about her new house and new life.

Thank goodness I had to work today....I couldn't afford another lunch date.

I have one more very good friend I want to include. I met Carolee through rubber stamping and our friendship just evolved..............We stamp, scrapbook, are in the same book club and Red Hat group, we LOVE to go on Red Hat trips and stamping conventions, we go to different events in the area. She keeps me grounded, or tries to.

I'm good friends with my former sister in law. Her son is about the same age as our grandson so we sometimes do things together with the boys.

Yes, I am blessed with a lot of great friends, each different but some common threads run through all. One thing they have in common is they are all genuine, truthful women. These are just some of my great friends.....I love all of you! I don't know what I'd do without you!

I hope you have good friends in your life too!!!