I wrote this a few years ago decided it was time to publish! To all our Girlfriends who’ve helped us make a difference in our lives.

The older I get them more important girlfriends have become. It isn’t girls against guys, or a feminist movement, it’s simply that I’ve learned so much about myself from my girlfriends. It’s the differences and sameness of our family cultures, how we all worked our way through our teenage dreams into our 20’s and beyond. The thread that connects us together is a shared aspiration for the greater good in life.

Each of my girlfriends offers me something equally important if not very different from each other and it has been some of the unlikeliest girls that became my friends! They have given me so much and many times I have been gently reminded that judgment only shrinks and darkens an otherwise beautiful world.

I cannot begin to pretend to understand the complexities that come with friendship. I do not always agree with how my friends handle situations, who they date, marry and hang out with. That sounds so negative but it really isn’t.

I am no expert but I believe it is a natural reaction when we care about someone to shield them from what “we” think isn’t good for them. The important part is being able to distinguish between an actual threat versus our opinion of a given situation that we know we wouldn’t be able to survive.

We are like many circles overlapping and sharing the good, helping each other be better people.

When we accept friendship without judgement there are so many wonderful things that blossom; understanding, hope, compassion and love – all things we need.

It is so easy to judge and host our own personal tribunals with punishment instead of just accepting friendship.

I want to be a better friend and accept what is given freely and give back.

I was going to include a dictionary definition of Girlfriend at the beginning of this entry, but I couldn’t find one that was suitable. So here is ecitygirl’s definition:

Girlfriend [gurl-frend] noun :
1. A person attached to another by feelings of personal regard
2. A person who gives assistance; supporter
3. A person who is on good terms with another; A person who is not hostile
4. A member of the same nation (gender in this case, including Mother, Sister, Sister-In-Law, Aunt, Cousin, Niece, Co-worker, Peer, Roommate – you get the point the list could go on!)