Yesterday I drove a friend to chemo.

But if you think this is going to be a maudlin post, you're wrong. It's not.

This is a post about spending time with a dear friend. In a surreal situation.

First, you bring a big, heavy bag packed by another friend. It's filled with comfort items like a warm fuzzy blanket, a soft sleep mask, comfy slippers, some food (dark chocolate, clementines, Saltines), a bottle of hand sanitizer, some magazines, an iPod and a laptop. The bag should have two handles so you can carry it together. To share the load.

Your dear friend tells you which subjects are taboo. You honor this.

Once the nurse has the IV hooked up, you get things situated with a cup of ice chips, snacks, a blanket from the warmer, the fuzzy blanket from the bag, the comfy slippers.

Then you both settle in, switching gears from your fast-paced normal world of kids and chores and carpools and sports and homework. Now, it's just the two of you and an IV drip that won't be hurried. You chat. And munch.

Then it's time to boot up the laptop.

And now I will tell you the name of a movie that is perfect for a day like today.

Death at a Funeral.

This is one incredibly zany British flick.

Out of an entire room of people sitting in La-Z-Boy like chairs and hooked up to IVs, we were the only two laughing hysterically.

And that is worth a lot.

Happy Birthday, Cindy. Love you. xo

friendship for moms

I don't know about the rest of you mothers, but I usually end up becoming friends with other mothers I meet through my kids. And because I have four kids who are involved in a variety of activities (swim, water polo, dance, Brownies, and more), I meet a lot of mothers. We're thrown together over and over. And through all this proximity and that fact that they're nice people and we have kid stuff in common, friendships are forged.

Making friends this way works out pretty well.

But, in a different life, a life where I was roaming free and meeting people through my own activities, the friendship thing would unfold in other ways.

Well, about a year ago, I met a woman. In the interests of honesty, I have to admit I met her through Child #2 and his sports. However, our paths didn't cross over and over. We saw each other from time to time when our teams played at the same pool, for example.

About six months ago, we were in the bleachers at an out-of-town pool and sat together. At some point, we realized that if we lived closer and were a little less busy, we'd be great friends. And, we decided, then and there, that we would meet up this summer.

Guess what?

TODAY WE'RE GOING TO LUNCH TOGETHER!

Just the two of us. No kids. No spouses. No teams. I can't wait.