Looks Like We Made it!

� Nothing like a little Barry Manilow to remind us it is FRIDAY!� Though I find that picture of him rather creepy.� I decided on the title of this entry, punched it into Google and hit "Images" and was amused.



Anyway, yesterday lunch was awesome.� I have great friends.� Truly.� And I spend time with different friends�for different reasons; all are my friends, but I think we find certain things we need within each of our friendships.� Make sense?� Moving on.



Leisl married a widower with two young sons, so she is raising two boys who are not biologically hers, who are now close to the same age as my kids. �Sound familiar?� Moving on.� So she gets it.� She tells me stories and her thoughts on mothering and on her kids and I realize I am not as abnormal as I often think I am for some of the thoughts I have.� I realize that in order to love someone you don't necessarily have to like them and that is okay, because other mothers feel that too.



I have a few other friends raising boys, but they gave birth to them and though many of the issues are the same, raising kids that are not biologically yours has a set of separate challenges.� Mothering them has a whole 'nother set of challenges.� It is a fact that the same sex parent is the most influential person in a child's life.� I am not that same sex parent as I am harshly reminded of each time The Brit has to travel.�



It was also long overdue yesterday for me to spend time with a girl and only with a girl.� I love my male friends dearly, but they are not girls and we think differently.� Holy crap, do we think differently.� But again, discussing these things with Leisl makes me not feel as much on an island alone as I sometimes do at home, living with all males.� It is difficult to not have anyone else there who thinks like a girl and men don't get the way we think anymore than we get the way they think.� That's just the way it is, but the fact remains that there are three people in my house with similar mind sets.�



And then there is me.



But for a few hours yesterday, I was able to connect with someone who thinks as I do and is going through the same parenting challenges as I am and it felt wonderful.� It was rejuvenating and I am so incredibly thankful that Leisl and I were able to reconnect after so many years.� God knew what he was doing.� He knew she and I would need each other for sanity purposes.



And she has signed up to run the 5K with me at the end of May.



And Emily, thank you for the reference about the Road ID.� The Brit surprised me and ordered me one.� Can't wait for it to arrive!



So, everyone have a wonderful weekend.� Stay safe, do something healthy and report back to me on what it is.� I will be running after work today in 80 degree temps, a far stretch from how cold it was on Wednesday.



I leave you with this quote I ran across today and I really liked it:

�

If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.

John Bingham, running writer and speaker