The past few months have been full of wildly fluctuating emotions, intense change and a lot of self-analysis.  I wonder each day how I have managed to get here in one piece and without much visible damage.  And then I know.

As I have written before, I have always been lucky enough to have a tight circle of good friends.  Not a million of them.  No need for that.  But I have been very fortunate to have a handful of women who always have my back.  (Doke, this one is for you . . . .).  Even when I don’t see or talk to these women for maybe weeks at a time, I know they are there and I hope they know the same is true of me.

These are the people who hold me up when I am falling hard.  Who pat me on the back when I should be proud of something.  Who laugh with me – and sometimes at me – when I as I often am . . . . . a klutzy, graceless ninny.  Who cry with me when I need comfort.  And who stand by me silently just so I know I am not alone.  It is their presence in my life that has allowed me to reach this place.  A place of joy and happiness.  It is not without its challenges that is for sure.  But I can say that it is more joyful than not – and that’s somewhat of a miracle for me.  It is these women who have selflessly guided me here in more ways than one – whether they know it or not.  There is only one word to explain how I feel about each and every one of them and that is grateful.  This has never been more apparent than today.

Today I am sitting on a beautiful balcony on a gorgeous beach in Florida.  My two youngest children are either still sleeping or laughing with their best friend at one of the endless streams of youtube videos they watch every day.  My oldest son has already left for his last year of college so sadly he couldn’t join us.  But he should know that his heart is here with mine.

We would not be here for this beautiful last hoorah of the summer of 2018 but for my dearest, beautiful friend and her family.  She is not on any social media and even if she was she would hate me for mentioning her name.  So I won’t.  But she knows who she is.   She will undoubtedly kill me for posting this photo of us but I can’t help myself.

I met this woman and her family about 8 years ago when our sons were in elementary school together.  Since about first grade, our sons have become best friends and our families have traveled together more than once.  As I have learned about her and her family over the years, I understand how lucky I am to have her in my life.  And it has never been more evident than now.

At a time when things have been, let’s say a bit unwieldy, this woman invited my children and me to join her family on this vacation.  As much as I tried to decline this amazing invitation, she and her persistent self would not take no for an answer and so here we are.  Grateful is hardly word enough to encompass my feelings about this.  But it is as close as it gets.  I sometimes can’t believe how lucky I am to have someone like this at my back and, in fact, sometimes leading my way.  I don’t want to be over the top about this – she would hate it.  But I do want to throw my extreme appreciation for her and her family out into the world hoping that it bounces back to them someday – with or without me.

I have gushed about my “tribe” before so I won’t belabor the point here again.  Except to say how I will always feel this extreme sense of thankfulness for the presence of these people in my life.  I only hope that someday I can give back just a little of what these amazing souls have shared with me.