Friendships Through Thick and Thin

Friends Who Remain Steady Through Change, Laughter, and Life’s Lessons

By Tammy Whitehurst

Life - it doesn’t get easier, but we get better at it. And, we learn it’s much more enjoyable having friends along for the journey, through thick and thin.

Ranting, Raving, and Ready to Roll! That pretty much describes life over the age of 45 for most women. This season in our lives is filled with life-changing moments. I am going to rant and rave and this might disturb a few of you. I am a Christian woman whose about to get real about life, love, and laughter. Brace yourselves, this might be a rough ride.

Getting REAL about Life

By this age, I realize that even though life didn’t turn out the way I dreamed it would, it has still turned out really well. I made mistakes, battled regrets, and faced fears head on. I know how to grit my teeth and give it all I’ve got. Perseverance will pay off. I have discovered tattoos are not the end of the world even if I do not like them personally. Life, it’s how we look at it. That’s what I call living on the brightside.

I have been blessed to have a group of friends who stick together and share our thoughts and feelings about life. We didn’t get the white picket fence and a marriage proposal from an airplane banner flying through the sky, but we did get the gift of friendship with women who are living life alike. Some of us tried marriage more than once and we truly understand why in most cases it was meant to be only one time. We have loved and raised children we did not give birth to, yet by the grace of God we love them as if they were our own. Our children have let us down at times and we have let down our children. We can love our grandchildren whether they were conceived before or after the marriage. We can even love them if their parents never got married. We have learned to lean on each other, to live life fully alive, to cry our eyes out, and to laugh till our bellies hurt. Being around each other makes us all better wives, mothers, and grandmothers. One thing we all agree on is that life hasn’t been easy but it has been worth it. We realize we get better at life when we work hard at finding the good and not stressing over the bad. We remind each other that we can live a blessed life.