I want to be careful here and not get into a guy-buddy and girlfriend comparison because I don’t genuinely understand how much guys need those buddy relationships. Girlfriends – now that’s a different matter. We do. It’s that simple. When we’re lucky we have that best friend or a few very close friends in the same town, maybe occasionally on the same block or next door. In other cases, due to a variety of reasons, the geography of those relationships become stretched out and physically inconvenient. The physical separation, however, doesn’t dilute the strength of the friendship, merely the ability to dash out and have lunch or sit down for the glass of wine/cup of coffee.

The ability to have those all-important conversations, to share the emotions that we do doesn’t change and we, who are sisters in spirit if not in blood, can pick right up with a line of thought whether it’s been a day or two years since we were last together. There are many reasons why this is true and I can’t begin to imagine the volume it would require to take everything that has been written about this and store it in one place. The Library of Congress might have enough space. In reality, my trip to DC this time was yes, seeing the kids and watching our son perform in a new venue. But as much as it was that, it was also visiting with some girlfriends that mean a great deal to me. So, ladies, everyone out there who has maybe not had a chance to speak with a friend like that lately, grab the phone and give them a call.