Today I went to a beautiful bridal shower for a good friend of mine. As usual it was normal parts gift opening, games, food and lots of sweets. As I was driving home I was thinking what a privilege it was to be a part of the event. In some ways because it reminds me of my own showers when we got married, and how overwhelmed I was with love and support. I hope that today was a glimpse into the future of my friends as well. The women who hosted the shower all met through a hockey league that their sons played in when they were 7 and 8 years old. Those same boys men are graduating from university this year. These women have raised their kids together and now they are sending off my friend in style as she prepares to start her own family. It really is a beautiful thing.
We got to sit at small tables and so I sat with the two friends who live in the co-op with Matt and I. I couldn’t help hoping that in 20+ years from now we find ourselves in a similar situation…although with us as the ladies throwing the shower for another’s daughter. I’ve long been a fan of female friendship and the power of girlfriends in my own life. What an honour and a joy it is to get to live life together with people that you love and respect.
Today someone said to me that they find it hard to trust people who always seem to have a new set of friends. And I can see the point. Old friends and commitment to friendships give us roots and firm footing. Yes, new friends are a wonderful part of life too, but old friends wreak of intimacy, conflicts resolved and the seasons of life.
A new marriage and the beginning of a new family is something to celebrate- but like the bride said today, it is also amazing how lives can be woven together through friendship, marriage, children and perhaps most of all, sticking it out.
Further Down the Road 
