loved thru thick n' thin and all the dress sizes in between

i am thirty-eight years old today. boy do i wish i could offer some sage words of wisdom to all of the wives and moms out there. i'm sure that iffin i took the time to think about it i could come up with something more profound than, say, don't try to fry chicken when you're nekkid, or maybe that, when it comes to the wee ones, pop rocks and pop tarts do not a balanced breakfast make. but this morning i think the most important thing i have to share is this: have good friends.

you see, i'm not much on making many friends. i know, gasp!, right? no really, being an only child pretty much fashioned me into something of a loner. i mean, hey, unlike many women i have met, i enjoy my own company. i don't usually need a lot of companionship, so i don't usually seek it. however, i somehow ended up with the sort of personality that they say is the type to "never meet a stranger." that's a nice way of saying i have verbal diarrhea. if it comes up [in my head] it comes out [of my mouth] -- i'm sure you get the picture. anyhoo, i talk to talk. to anyone. at any time. smockdaddy complains that everyone down at the tom thumb knows all about our business because i can't keep my mouth shut. funny thing is, i don't usually know what's going on with others. not because i don't care or don't listen, but because -- well, iffin i sleep between conversations with someone, i've lost everything that was said. i think this has something to do with trying to keep up with the lives and schedules of six children, but i'm not sure. my mantra: if i don't write it down, it didn't or won't happen. this is why i have to carry my "brain book" at all times. it keeps all of my "notes to self" and important thingies in it. if i ever lose it, my goose is cooked.

as i was trying to say, friends are totally important. i know lots of people. heck, i'm the avon lady, so i know lots of people. but, just because you know lots of people, does not mean you've befriended lots of people. in fact, i have very few friends. but, the few i do have, like mamaT and lamamacita, i consider "keepers" and that's no joke. i'm fiercely loyal to them and i imagine they feel the same. "keepers" are the sort of friends that love you and support you, no matter how stupid or silly or shallow you might be. they love you even when you are unlovely. i am, of course, speaking for myself; but, you get the gist. i am so grateful, in particular, for these two women with whom i share this corner of blogdom. they are beautiful, smart, and holy women. women who love me where i am, but who inspire me to be better. to be more. God in heaven, what a blessing!

iffin you don't have a mamaT and a lamama, i highly recommend you run out and find you some right fast.