Best Friends

"You're not my best friend."

Those very words came out of my three year old son's mouth this evening as I dressed him for bed after his bath.

I found it funny, cute, heartwrenching and surprising.  I asked him who his best friend is.  And to no surprise he screeched "L!!" (L is his BFF from daycare)

I thought this behavior of wanting friends first, family second came around the age of 8 or 9, not 3! :)

Best Friends.  

This past weekend I spent two amazing days with some of the best friends I've ever made...my wonderful sorority sisters from college.

Yep, I was (no wait AM) in a sorority, though that should come as no surprise to most anyone.  I am an ADPi (Alpha Delta Pi).  And I attended college at a beautiful, small, liberal arts university in Texas.  This place, Southwestern University, is where I made the friends who I carry in my heart always and forever.  It's an amazingly special place, one that most people cannot begin to understand if they didn't attend.  We had about 1000 students when I was there, and today there still only about 1300 students (though it does cost about $47,000/year to attend now; was only about $15,000/year when I was there!).  But that small size makes it all worth it.  Everyone knew everyone.  Everyone watched out for everyone (or so it seems).  And the friendships it bore last a lifetime.

We were about 60 girls in my sorority.  21 in my pledge class.  No sorority houses were allowed on campus, though the boys do have frat houses (this is still the case today).  When I matriculated, freshmen girls had to all live under one roof.  RUSH was in the spring in order to not allow Greek life to separate the girls (or boys) from one another, to help prevent cliches and encourage students to all experience those first 4 months of college TOGETHER.   It worked beautifully.

But I wanted to be an ADPi so badly.  I remember the angst and nerves of RUSH like it happened yesterday.  And then I was 'in!'  I wore my jersey with pride.  I pinned my badge to every single dress I wore until I graduated.  I adorned my hair with blue and white bows and had a plethora of ADPi jerseys, shorts, sweat pants, sweatshirts, binders, cups, pens, pencils, you name it...anything I could get emblazoned with the Greek letters of ADPi.

And those girls, those women became my forever friends.  Even the ones I have not seen since the day I left SU and the ones I met after I left.  I returned in the spring of 2002 to initiate my sister after she had pledged ADPi. 

So this brings me to this weekend.  One of my sweet sisters is fighting breast cancer.  My sweet sister, J, who is my Diamond Sister had a double mastectomy 6 weeks ago today.  Another dear friend, sorority sister decided we needed to buoy J up in this fight for her life, so invited as many of us who could to come spend the weekend at her house, as she lives in the same town as J.  35 sister girls showed up.  Thirty-five.  We came from all over this great state of Texas and even out of state to shower J with love and support.  

Many of us have not seen one another since the day we left campus as we went our separate ways.  And as this group spanned 6 years of college, some of us had never met, but we are still sisters.  

Friends.
Sisters.

We live for each other.

Cheesey we know!  Our jewel is the diamond!

Our girl fighting the fight!

Just catching up! 

My old roommate and 'grandbaby'

Tate coloring! 

Two legacies and my boy! :) (Maybe he'll be a Pike...I was
also a Pike little sister in college!)

FIGHT LIKE A GIRL!
 We all brought t-shirts with us and
bedazzled them with those words!

One of the girls who joined ADPi two years after I graduated! 

This is the love of two people who have not seen one another
in 23 years.  Personally I can feel this love just emanating
from this picture.  Love this girl so much! 

The kids adored her...their first meeting of sweet B! 

Tate playing air hockey late Friday night!

Breakfast Saturday WAY before the rest of the house was awake.
(It was a sleepover weekend for all of us who came in from out of town)

Catching up!

Kiddos eating lunch! 

Best truffles.  EVER!

S wins the prize for furthest away to attend the festivities!
(from Canada!)

J and J 

The four of us pledged together!  That's Tate's
godmommy in the pink!

I took Tate with me as you can see from the pics.  My prayer for him is that he finds friends like these to walk with and beside in his life.  And I want him to know that his mother has friends such as these.  I want him to see how I love and how I'm loved.  And because I love him so very much, I want him to know love of all different kinds...friendship, family, intimate relationship and most importantly the love of God.

So tonight when he told me L is his best friend I 'got' it.  And it's ok.  I'm glad he loves his friend.  After all, one can never have enough love.

LOVE