I am so fortunate to have amazing girlfriends from different times of my life.

After college I got a job at an environmental laboratory.  The hours were long, the work was less than exciting, definitely not glamorous, and so many days I wondered what I was doing there with my recent college diploma.  Somehow I think a few of us girls felt the same way so we gravitated toward each other.  I really don’t remember how we all started hanging out, but that lab formed a bond between us group of ladies that is unbreakable.  We have been through breakups, new jobs, new homes, marriages, divorce, birth of our kids, losing loved ones, vacations, parties, laughter, inside jokes, and so many memories!

Recently we found out one of our group was diagnosed with breast cancer and today she started her battle; first round of chemotherapy.  Tears fill my eyes just thinking about this.  I know so many people have been affected by this horrible disease, but I have been so fortunate to not have been touched by it, until now. She is one of the kindest women I know. She is strong and I know she will beat this!

We are all busy living our lives so we do not get together as often as we did when we worked together (nightly happy hours ha ha), but we do make the time to get together and over the past couple weeks, we have become even tighter, planning things for our friend, thinking of ideas to ease this time for her and her family and ways to take her mind off of this battle.  I am so thankful for this group of ladies and I always have been, but this battle our friend is taking on has me reflecting on my time with these ladies, reflecting on what is truly important in life.

Today I found myself eating those extra twizzlers (enjoying that sweet flavor), laughing a little harder with my daughter, hugging her tighter, and remembering silly, fun times with these ladies, and looking forward to getting together with them!  A battle like this puts the “small sh*t” in perspective…appreciating what I have and knowing how fortunate I am to have these ladies in my life.