flowers and friends

i met an old friend for lunch today.

she suggested meeting when she wrote to tell me she could not make it to my baby shower.

it was a bit of a drive for her to go, so i completely understood.

but meeting half-way for lunch was much more doable for us both.

and how glad i am that she had this idea.


we met at a favorite creperie in the town where i grew up.

she brought some gifts for me and baby-b.

she bought me lunch and dessert.

but best of all, she brought herself... the joyful self i had come to know

so many years ago.


it's actually sort of funny how we met.

she dated my first boyfriend right after i dated him.

i wanted to not like her when i found out she was dating him.

but then i met her, and i liked her so much that i didn't care that we shared a crush on the same boy.


anyway, we became great friends throughout high school.

then, as things often go, we lost touch for several years.

we briefly reconnected again about six years ago

when we discovered we were going to the same church.


however, i was not attending there quite as regularly,

and she eventually moved away.

well, with the wonders of facebook,

we once again reconnected since.

still, with the longer distance between us, we did not see each other in person.


but she has shown an interest in my pregnancy through facebook,

and would comment from time to time on the progression of my pregnancy.

though time and distance had come between us,

i still felt compelled to invite her to my shower...

we shared enough common bonds and memories

to make it so that i would be honored to have her there.


here's the part that is special, though...

had i seen her at my shower,

i would not have had as much one-on-one time to visit with her and catch up.

yes, not getting to see her at the shower was a disappointment,

but surely a blessing in disguise...

because it only allowed for a more personal get-together later on.


and it was a truly special lunch.

it was as if no time had passed between today and the last time i saw her.

in fact, somehow, we felt closer than ever...

maybe because i am pregnant, and i now have more in common with this mom of three.


we chatted and caught up on each other's lives as if we had been great friends for years.

and that's how you know when a friend is a real friend...

you can pick where you left off {and then some}

without any awkwardness that time and distance might threaten to create.


what a joyous time i had.

she shared a lot of her experiences as a mom and about giving birth...

lots of advice and perspective for me to gain from.

she let me share all my thoughts and anticipations about my own pregnancy

and the birth of my baby that is right around the corner.
and we discovered we have so much more in common then we ever knew.


she has a great flexible job that allowed her to take a very long lunch.

we sat from noon until almost three-thirty.

out on the sidewalk cafe in perfect spring weather

{until the clouds and wind came in

and forced us inside to chat some more over bananas foster crepes and coffee}.


and how appropriate that just an hour before we met up,

i submitted the above photo

with one of my favorite georgia o'keefe quotes

for my week twelve picture inspiration assignment.


it does take time to have a friend.

and to my delight, she took that time today.

what an unexpected pleasure on a truly delightful day.


i was going to post the flower photo and write about mystery...

as the assignment was titled "mysterious ways".

but when i got home from lunch,

it seemed more appropriate to write about friends.


i'll post the other photos and talk about mystery another time.

today, though, it's all about friendships...

and taking the time that is needed to cultivate them.
i feel blessed to have friends who are moms
that i bond with and learn from
as i enter into motherhood myself.

i think today was the beginning of many more get-togethers with cindy,

and i look forward to each one....

to taking the time to have a friend...

and taking the time to be one.


{sorry for all the flower photos lately... but it's just that time of year, no? i've got many more to share from a little garden party i threw for myself yesterday.}