My Best Friends

I moved into my neighborhood a little over seven years ago. It was a big move for me, not knowing anyone who lived in the town and being a stay-at-home mother of a 3 year old and 7 month old. We bought a house that was out of our price range like everyone else, but with one thing in mind....we would make it our home, the place where we would never leave. Within hours (that's right I said HOURS) of the U Haul pulling in the driveway of our new home on Halloween, I had the luxury of meeting one of the women in the story below.

My friend Gina is a "GO-TO" friend. She finishes my sentences or with just a look knows exactly what I am thinking. She has my back and the biggest heart in the world. She is a survivor in many ways...and together we will survive the years ahead with our kids who have turner and are turning into teenagers....I am very lucky to have her in my life.

On Sunday night I received an email from her about a story her friend wrote about their "CREW"....it brought me to tears for many reasons, it made me think about my friends - new & old. It made me realize how people come into your life and the purpose they serve...it is something, everyone does leave an impression. I am very happy to share this story with you....and I hope it tugs a little at your heart enough to smile through some tears and call a friend.

Thank you Gina M. for sharing - you make my heart smile!

D.B.K.

Coleen Colwell Schneider

People are lucky to have one best friend their whole life.  I am super lucky because I have six best friends in mine.  These six girls have been my best friends for over thirty years.  We have been through so many of life’s ups and downs.  Boyfriends, jobs, weddings, babies, even cancer.  We have laughed, cried, fought and supported each other over and over again.  Our husbands have become close friends and our children think they are cousins.

We share so many memories and know each other’s deepest secrets.  I have a twenty year old daughter and two teenage sons and most of my close friends have kids around the same ages.  When they get caught having parties at our house when we aren’t home, or drinking when they are not of age, or dating some loser, we complain to each other and advise each other about how to parent.  Then, ten minutes later, we are reminiscing about parties we had and loser boyfriends we dated, and we are laughing till we cry.

After 9/11, my friend Gina had read a story about a ring that was found in the rubble at ground zero.  It was a ring that belonged to one of the victims.  The ring belonged to a woman who wore the ring as a symbol of her friendships with her childhood girlfriends.  They also had the same ring.  We were all turning forty that year and it was a no-brainer what the gift to each other would be. This is the ring that we all share and treasure.

What I treasure more than this ring, are these six girls, Maureen, Joanne, Darlene, Gina, Lisa and Cathy. We are not perfect but we love and respect each other and have passed the test of time. I have learned so much from each one of them and they have all been a great influence in my life.  They are smart, beautiful and make me laugh more than anyone can imagine.  W.A. Wallace said “
Friendship is the fusion of souls.”  I believe this to be true because these girls are my soul-mates.

This month our 50^th birthdays begin.  We wanted to do something special again.  Luckily, Lisa is a jeweler and found the perfect gift:  a set of bangle bracelets that resemble the ring.  The bracelets, like the ring, like our friendships, have no end.  They will go on and on.