Girlfriends Are Pennies From Heaven

Meeting a girlfriend is, as strange as it may seem, in some ways, the same as meeting a romantic love. Usually chemistry clicks between the two persons immediately and in an instant you become conscious of the possibility of a friend. With seemingly no reason, you understand each other as if you have known one another forever.

After I had put an ad in the paper for a women’s group, all those who had responded met one night at a diner. From the ten women who showed up, Margaret and I both ordered a key lime pie. After talking, we realized we had many common interests, have been friends for years, and are still eating those pies.

Walking into the gym, I saw Jill, in the front row, on a treadmill. We smiled at each other. Later, in the locker room, we met and started chatting. She told me she was "writing a book." I told her I wanted to be a "private detective."

I am now writing the book. She did not become a private detective, nor did she write a book. She invests in real estate and we are still friends to this day.

Mary told me she had gone to a New Age meeting and her eyes connected across the room with another woman. They spoke after the meeting, went out for a bite to eat, and have been friends for ten years.

Alice met one of her best friends when she was late walking into a meeting and the speaker told her to sit next to her. The speaker was an "intuitive" and picked up instantly when she saw Alice come in the door that they would become friends. They had related immediately and have been friends for years.

Many of the friends we have, we met in school, or through work. Although we met just because we shared the same surroundings of school or employment, chemistry is still the pull that establishes our friendships in those situations. Those friendships may sometimes be the strongest and last the longest.

Friendships can coincide with our life cycles.

Some friends are there for a reason, perhaps to get us through a crisis. Some friends we have for years. Other friends are for a lifetime.

No matter the length of time the friendship exists, these women have become a part of us.

The deeper the friendship, the more willing we are to reveal our secrets or greatest fears.

With trusted friends, we are willing to expose the many layers of our personalities. They have become a source of comfort and security for us.

Age knows no barriers for friendship. Four of my very dearest friends are mother figures to me. They think of me as their daughter. Yet, we share our feelings, more so, than we would if we really were mother and daughter.

To a degree, we pick our friends because they have the same qualities as ourselves. When Nora told me what she liked in a particular friend of hers, I pointed out that she shared these same character traits.

My friends are all very intelligent women. They each have their special expertise and I am constantly learning from them.

We have different friends for different reasons and with each friend, we share an intimate and sacred understanding.