this was my book club's selection from last month, and i really enjoyed it.
it is a memoir about the friendship of eleven women from ames, iowa.
they met when they were children and have remained lifelong friends.
they are all in their mid 40s now and they remain close -
getting together annually somewhere for a week.
reading their stories brought up so many memories of my childhood friendships.
the girls i ran around with are now woman,
not too much younger than these woman in the book.
they all have children of their own now.
it doesn't seem like so much time has passed, and in my mind,
these woman will always be the youthful girls they were when we were young.
though i moved away from these girls in my early 20s,
i can go months and even years without seeing them and yet,
it's like little time has passed at all when we get together or when we talk on the phone.
there's something very powerful in this.
some research on this subject shows that
if women can maintain their friendships through the ages of 20-40,
when they are in the midst of raising children and establishing their careers,
they will probably remain lifelong friends.
reading this gave me so much hope, because since having children,
it has been tough to maintain many of my friendships - at least in the way they once were.
with work and young children, there doesn't seem to be enough time for me,
much less my girlfriends.
reading this made so much sense.
if i can just plug along for another few short years,
the boys will be older and more independent.
i will have more time for nurturing my friendships.
so to my girlfriends, if you are reading this,
know that you are loved and that you are important in my life.
i don't take you for granted.
this study by ucla on the power of female friendships is so interesting.
