Gurlz Poker Night

I'm a little behind on my blogging, hoping to catch up on the past couple of weeks over the next few days. But hey - that is life. Since my word is "simplicity", I try not to get all worked up over things not getting done. I still have the photos and the story can always be written later right?

Well this is an important story of friendship and how well, lives get busy, but certain bonds are unbreakable.

To start, I need to take you back six and a half years ago. January of 2003 to be precise. I was pregnant. Jen and I decided that in the best interest of Dan and Chris, we should attend pre-natal class. Honestly, I learned nothing about birthing (that I hadn't already read) and it didn't bring anything to the labour table per say. But what I got out of that class was invaluable.

You see, when I walked in I saw my high school class mate Nicole. We sat beside this funny lady with and incurable laugh, Jodi. Another women in the class was an old co-worker Shelley. Instant connection. We were all about to be moms, and none of us knew what the @#(*$&@( to really expect. Another friend of mine, Helen, had met a woman named Julia in her pre-natal and all of a sudden we were a gang of Moms.

Fast forward to March and April, and all these kids show up. Now this networking group became our life line to the outside world. All of us professionals, all of us social. All of us needing to get out of the house and see the great big world outside. Share breastfeeding stories. Stories of success, failure, depression, husbands who were great, and husband who were having a hard time adjusting to fatherhood. But most of all, we shared laugher. We knew who needed the extra hug, or extra latte. Who needed some shower time without a newborn and who needed a casserole made for them.

As all groups form, it's kinda expected that as time changes, the dynamics of the group will too. Shelley moved a bit further out, so we saw her less. After three years, with one exception, we had all had our second kids. After four years, there were 12 children amongst the strong six of us.

Sure, we are all back to work. We all juggle lives of kids, soccer, work, husbands, our individual interests....but we all have each other. As I seem to be involved in their lives individually, I have always been the coordinator of the group. I decided it had been too long since we had been together, so threw out a date and decided it was poker night for us gurlz!

Not many of us had played, but winning was so far from the object that evening. We laughed. We laughed hard, to the point of crying. Everyone had stories. Sure the kids were part of it, but really only a small part. We were six women who happened to have children of the same age. It was a fantastic night.

I know as time goes on, less of these nights will happen. But when they do - we communicate like it was only a week in-between visits. For so many reasons these women play such a role in my life and I am blessed to be part of this group.