Good Friends. We have all watched TV shows where friends of every walk of life have all kinds of adventures. We have all found our favorite shows and we have marathon watched episode after episode of each one. We can recite all the funny lines and totally relate to some of the craziness that comes with the lives of the characters…right? I have my own real life cast of crazy characters…and I am so thankful for them!

This past week I have spent time with several of those sweet souls and I can tell you that laughter is in fact the best medicine for whatever ails you…especially a broken heart. I spent one day this week with two girlfriends I have known since elementary school. We went junkin’ and found some fantastic steals for my house. We stomped in the mud, walked in the rain, drove around in a jacked up truck, and laughed until we hurt. I felt ten years younger that afternoon than I did when I left home that morning.

I also enjoyed my daily visits with one of my BFF’s who just keeps on amazing me with all of the things she thinks of to help me. I truly could never thank her for just being in my life. We don’t get much girl time together, but we have blended our families into one big happy bunch. Plus…she can cook. And so can her hubby. Feeding the hungry neighbors is always a nice thing to do…friends or not! Throw in funny kids… a dash of SnapChat…and you have the makings of lots of laughs and fat cheeked grins from everyone!

And then, on Friday I went on a weekend getaway with a hilarious, truth talking, big-haired riot who never fails to make me laugh until I hurt. We ran away to Nashville Friday night…slept late on Saturday…and then we went to the Opry Mills Mall and shopped. It was so much fun…because shopping at the Mall is NOT something either one of do more than once a year during Christmas (maybe)! We enjoyed our girl day and then we went downtown for a fun-filled night of Music and people watching. It was an awesome, stress free adventure. I can sooooooooo see many more of these sweet escapes in my future!

There were several other friends who called, texted, or saw me during the week that made me smile. I had lunch with two girls on different days this week who each know me for very different reasons…yet we had plenty to talk about and yes…laugh about. Last night we had our fellowship meal at church and I enjoyed even more laughs with my friends there.

Here’s the secret meaning behind this friend filled post…if you surround yourself with awesome people…your life will be filled with awesome moments. Not over the top moments, just ordinary every day moments that you look at and realize are awesome because of who you shared them with! It’s the people in your life that are important.

One of my Facebook Moments this past week had a post that I had written in 2012. It said, “Spend more time looking up rather than looking down”. It would be so easy for me to look down right now. I can very easily get caught up in my own grief. I spent many days over the past four months alone and not even attempting to look up. This week I realized that I am not looking down so much anymore. I am literally surrounded by people who go out of their way to make me smile. They all make me look up at life.

Trying to accept the fact that my best friend is never coming back is really hard. The person I talked to about everything isn’t here anymore. I can’t hear his voice and he can’t ask me how my day was…but my friends do. Every one of you who reach out to me and lift me up each day keep me going. It’s hard to fully appreciate how wonderful a blessing friends are until they are all you have left. My family is awesome too…don’t misunderstand me. I couldn’t make it without them either (and I love them all to pieces!), but this post is dedicated to all of my girlfriends who have stepped up and made me and my girls a priority in their lives. I want to say Thank you…

I am enjoying time with all of you sweet friends…and I hope that for anyone else reading this post…you will take the time to re-connect with some of your friends as well. Life is short…and busy…and hard. Somehow along the way we all tend to loose who we are in the jumble of the daily grind. Look up today…and see your friends. They know the real you that maybe you have forgotten. Spending time with them will help you remember who that tired looking lady in the mirror really is on the inside. I am willing to bet that they need laughter…and fun…and a visit with you as much as you need one with them! So, make some time for your friends and they will make time for you. In the end all that matters is the time you spent together and the memories you made. Believe it or not…that’s what helps you look up on the hard days. Lesson learned….well played girls…well played!