Family, Not Friends

When girls have too much time on their hands, they contemplate fun and how to have it. When girls get together to do such contemplation, the fun increases exponentially, as the three of us have found.

Who are we? Three girls, who are about the same age (thirty-something...you would understand not to pursue this little question further, dear reader). So let's assume, we're happily on our paths in our lives, we're old enough to know better and young enough to make decisions against our better judgements at the same time.

We were born in almost the same area of the world, within five years of one another. Cue forward 30 years or so and by chance, we met on a bulletin board. Not a very good one. Actually, it was run sort of like a Nazi camp but that was really besides the point.

We met because we love cross stitch to the point of overwhelming obsession(we also love eating, family, friends, clothes, good wine, nice music, dirty jokes and discussions about bodily functions but that is a post for another day). Well, from needle and thread, the friendships grew and grew until we began to feel like family. When you are away from the home you were born in, you find inventive ways to establish friendships, to secure bonds. Maybe it helped that none of us have any biological sisters, so it was fairly easy to become surrogate siblings.

Today, we discuss everything from patterns to fabric to family to myriad issues and problems and at some level, we tackle them together. For my part, I really wouldn't know what to do without Joyce and Novia and in some ways, they have become my closest confidants, my crutch of support and partners in crime in a manner of speaking. Sure, they tease me for being the "middle child" among the three, and I'm torn between the requests of one and the orders of another (you decide which hahahaha). We laugh and joke and say I am the poor slave to Genghis Khan Joyce (Tall, influential and must be obeyed) and Napoleon Novia (short, influential and must be obeyed).

Hey, maybe some women laugh and say why would I do this to myself. But then I'd say, why wouldn't I do this to myself. I wouldn't trade these two sisters for anything. Even if they say "Start" and "stop" and various intervals and insist I do what they tell me (which could also mean why I am writing the first post). Because these girls, they give unstinting support and friendship with no questions asked, no expectations required. That's pretty hard to find in this day and age.

We started this blog because we wanted to share a little bit of ourselves with each other and with anyone who drops in. And for my part, I hope that you, gentle reader, might take with you a little part of the magic we share with you, and hope that makes your day just that little bit better.