Being Together

It was a cosmic convergence that created a phantom harmonic--all eleven of the Thursday night girls in one place last night. I can't speak to all the things that brought us to my house, but there were a couple of things that stand out. Elizabeth, our Oriental friend, called around 4:30 to say she was coming. This was surprise #1. Then as we sat around eating soup and bread, all the girls who had said they couldn't come started drifting in until we were all there.

A friend from our past died this week and I'm wondering how this might have consciously or unconsciously contributed to our wanting to be together. When one of the girls came in the door and I asked how she was doing, she said, "Well, I'm alive." That may have just said it all - we were all alive and able to be together for food and fellowship.

We did some planning for our trip to Oriental for the Spirit of Christmas event the first weekend in December. And frankly we laughed our asses off while we did it. The theme is the Twelve Days of Christmas and we are eleven plus Elizabeth's mom so we played a little with the ladies dancing...well, you had to be there.

It's the season of being thankful, and I am thankful for this group of women. I'm always trying to get them to do something - projects, speakers, book studies - but they resist for the most part. And last night I heard them say why this is: Sometimes you just need a place to go where there are no expectations except that you show up, get fed, and have a good time. So as long as Whole Foods will keep chopping all the vegetables into pre-packs for my convenience, and keep making those sugar cookies and chocolate cookies and bread, I'll keep cooking and leaving the door open on Thursday nights.