with happy wishes

True friends are those special ones,
who share sorrows and fun.
Who give understanding,
love and care;
Who never change, who are always there.
Who, with smiles and waves must say goodbye.
But will remember, though they cry,
that true friends never really part
but remain forever within the heart.
-unknown

The flowers in the frame have faded... but the sentiment behind that long-ago farewell gift never will. She is the friend I have felt most parallel with... our family dynamics, then and now... always knowing that what we would always be more Mom-minded than career-minded... sharing birthdays just four days apart.
I think of us as the December Girls.
She is there, and I am here... but no matter how many miles there are between us, or months have passed between phone calls or emails or notes, we always pick up right where we left off and fall back into the way it always was. Not too many months ago, I answered the phone to hear her laughter... as her daughter was setting up an ice cream store in the backyard. Oh those were days we remember with our own laughter, scooping up sundaes and triple-decker cones side by side. I love that she called... not just thinking of me, but not being able to let the moment pass without a quick connection. There are other memories I have tucked away... same color prom dresses, cooking a dinner or two together in my little kitchen, writing the calligraphy on her wedding program... and that memory I'm sure she wishes I would forget- her dropping an egg on the floor in my Mom's kitchen. Every time an egg drops here, I think of her....

So here it is, December again.
And she is right here on my mind, in my heart.
Happy Birthday, my December friend.  Your friendship is precious to me.
And just remember... we are still the youngest (but I am four days younger!)