the soccer girls

The middle daughter has been busy hanging out as much as she can with her buddies this week. The first one departs for school tomorrow and after that the departures will start to happen on almost a daily basis.

It has been an awesome thing to see how supportive, caring, and connected this group of soccer girls has been over the last 3 years. They are a tight-knit group. Their relationships on and off the field have been a joy to watch.

Friendships are an interesting thing. I don't really talk to any of my friends from my high school days. I stay connected on Facebook to a variety of my friends from college, but truly have only stayed close with one friend from back then. She and I are the kind of friends I hope my daughters will have in their lives. Those friendships stand the test of time, distance, kids, husbands, life.

So when she was feeling a bit sad and blue yesterday thinking about the soccer girls splitting up, we talked for a bit about friends and how it all can work when everyone is at different colleges. We spent more time hugging than talking, because the words only go so far. Yes, this is all part of growing up, but saying goodbye is never easy. It isn't easy when you are 18 or when you are 48. We are lucky to live in a time when those long distance friends are only a cell phone or computer screen away.

We've arrived at Thursday. The week is slipping by and a big shopping trip to Target looms in my future. The countdown is on, yet again.

Enjoy the weekend.