You may not see her every single day but it doesn’t matter. When you and your best girlfriend finally catch up, it’s like you’ve never been apart. You laugh, cry, and regale each other with tales of your everyday lives as if there was no tomorrow.
Without our knowing it, friends often have a profound and far-reaching effect on our lives. In her book Friendfluence, author and journalist Carlin Flora says friends play a significant role in determining our sense of self and the direction of our lives. Friends not only open our minds to different ideas and experiences, they also help define our goals and deal with challenging situations. They also provide much-needed support, especially when the going gets tough.
Through thick and thin
Louie Migne, mom and communications professional, considers herself lucky when it comes to friends. “I don’t often see or talk to them, but in times of difficulty, when I need them most, they are there.”
When her husband got really sick, her friends were there for her. Their prayers and presence gave Louie comfort and confidence.
After a difficult day at the hospital, she received a call from her friend and neighbor Margot. Louie recalls, “She cooked my favorite dish. It was a very simple gesture but it meant the world for a weary and worried person needing the comforting company of a friend. During my husband’s long sickness my two best friends Connie and Min were always at my side to give me their support. What made their support special? The time-tested truth that real friends are those who stick with you during the difficult days.”
Jol Espiritu Cruel, mom of three, experienced the same kind of support from her girlfriend. She says, “Despite her very busy schedule, she is always there for me, always coming to my assistance at a moment’s notice. I will never forget how upon hearing that my Dad was suddenly confined in the ICU, she somehow managed to visit us despite all the errands and appointments she had that day. She even brought snacks for all of us anxiously waiting outside the restricted area. I was beside myself with worry but her sudden presence made me feel like everything was going to be okay.”
A bond like no other
Minnie Ocampo Jumaquio, the mompreneur behind Wallaby Mommy and Snug-A-Hug, is grateful for the gift of friendship that she has found among her fellow mompreneurs.
She explains, “I have a set of girlfriends, who are all mompreneurs, whom I met at Mommy Mundo events. All I have to say about this group of ladies is that they are all well-rounded. We can talk about the ups and downs of our businesses, family life, our daily stresses, strategies, fears, the stock market, foreign exchange, religion. Any mundane thing we can think off, we talk and laugh about it. They’re just a Viber message away, so I always have a ‘Phone a friend’ type of thing in my pocket. Got a question or something to vent out? They’re the ones I turn to. In return, I do the same for them, anytime. Given that each and every person in the group are strong-willed in character, we still manage fill up each other’s weaknesses.”
Reassuring presence
Ruth de la Rama-Dizon, mom and broadcasting professional, likes the constant presence of her bestie. She explains, “The best thing my best girlfriend has ever done for me is really nothing grand nor can it be summed up in just one action. It is the simple and small things she consistently does that makes me feel loved and cared for. Even when we are continents away from one another, she would check up on me every so often, crack her own brand of unique jokes only we could understand, snicker and laugh together, cry and pray for one another. My love language being thoughtfulness, these simple acts are important to me. They convey to me that I truly have a friend in her.”
A generous and beautiful soul is how Ruth describes her best friend. She says, “She has taught me to laugh, to risk, to love, to live! If I could do anything for her, it would be to return the favor of letting her know that she has a friend in me who would walk with her through all seasons of our life. We would often tell one another that even when we are old and toothless, we would still laugh together in our rocking chairs, hopefully still exuding irresistible grace from within!”
Image courtesy of nenetus at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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