Girl Friends

The bus was crowded with people, all wet from waiting at the bus stop in the rain.  Those that still had dry shoulders, carried wet, dripping umbrellas. The windows were fogged up and even when you wiped the window, the rain on the window made it impossible to see anything.  There was probably nothing to see outside on such the grey rainy day anyway.

At the next bus stop more people squished their way on to the bus.  There was a bunch of shuffling as well-mannered gentlemen stood up to give seats to a group of older ladies that had boarded.  They all managed to get seats close together and one of them sat down beside me.  They chatted excitedly back and forth.

One was heading to Charlottetown for Christmas.  They were just there in October, but going back again. It wasn't a novelty anymore, she said, but they still liked to see the grand-kids   Another said that they were staying home for Christmas but hoped to travel in the spring.

The bus ride is barely 30 minutes, but half way through, the chatter slowed.  "Ginny's about to fall asleep", one of the ladies teased as another's head started to droop.  Hearing her name, Ginny quickly opened her eyes and said she couldn't sleep because she'd miss her stop.  A couple of them talked about how tired they were, and the exuberance faded from their conversation as they got sleepier.

My curiosity grabbed the chance to inquire from the lady beside me what adventures they'd been on that afternoon.  She explained that they'd been to The Wedgewood Hotel for their Christmas lunch.  She said they'd all been friends for many years, and every year, they'd get together for a Christmas lunch.  

We chatted about how women value the bonds of friendships with other women. These bonds are cemented by shared experiences of life as moms, wives, sisters, daughters and friends.  All these roles come with so much joy and often sadness too.  Girl friends support each other through these times and we all come out the other side, grateful for our friends.

It warmed my heart to see these old gals enjoying each other's company, and to know that the warmth and affection between girlfriends never gets old.