One for my homies...

I was thinking today, inspired by my love of Sarah for playing coffee fairy, about the quality of my girlfriends. I have some fantastic friends.

I was thinking how fortunate I am to have them and how lucky I have been to be given such a great support system. Even though I rarely use it, I appreciate what I have been given in the girlfriend support department. I am usually the one that people turn to for level-headed advice. I am usually the one that people expect to be objective and real and not fake them out with false hope or a “look on the brightside” sort of mentality. I value this.

Lately, I have been involved in several conversations with these same girlfriends about love and relationships and family and I have come to a startling conclusion. So many of my girlfriends are currently selling themselves short. (I hope that none of you take offense to this, just hear me out.)

Take LBG. She is beautiful, intelligent and a pleasure to be around. (I should know, she’s blessed me with her friendship for 13 years). She is one of the most loving people that I know. She has bought me pregnancy tests and done them with me, even though she knew that she didn’t need to. Even though she could have just dismissed me in mid panic attack, she held my hand. She was there when my grandmother died, picking me up from the floor of the ER, stroking my hair and crying right along with me. That, my friends, is love. And yet, on days when her mood is sullen, she is so unsure. So broken. And it tears me up. For a man to be able to wreak this type of havoc on someone’s ego and their heart is wickedly painful. And it makes me want to get inside the heads of these cold creatures and find out what it is about them that makes us so crazy. I value the fact that I have been able to be there for her when she is unable to help herself. I love her like she was a sister. But I can’t understand the hurt that she feels every day. I want to show her how I see her. I want to hold up a mirror and show her her heart. I want her to love her the way that I do and realize that she is better than this test has made her feel.

Then there’s the Pookie issue. She is a fantastic woman. A great mother, a hard worker, a self-sacrificing friend. We have had our differences, but she remains a constant in my life. More so than I would have ever expected. She has had some ups and downs lately that have brought her to a bleak place where she believes she will never find someone who loves her. If only she knew how wrong she is. If only she could see how many people already do. I do. And while I may not marry her (although, if we ever get our idiot president out of office, I might be able to), I intend to be there every step of the way for her. I intend to keep on her about how wonderful she is. And I intend to keep being harder on her than I am on most because I know she knows I am right.

Finally, there is my Grandmaster Superstar…(unless I am Grandmaster Superstar, I can’t remember)…who has overcome so much in this last year. She has become stronger than I could aspire to be in her situation and has learned to accept and even embrace it. The metamorphosis was stunning and she came out shining brighter than she ever has. And I know that it is hard for her. But there is this love that she exudes, this light, this passion. And I admire it.

I love and admire all of these women with an intensity that I cannot put into words. I admire them because they are stunning, and different, and just plain lovely.

I don’t always see beauty in myself, but these women make me strive to find it.