Life is a Gift (And so are Friends!)

Hanging in L's entryway

It's been 11 days since my "Yesterday I fell Off a Cliff" post in which I wrote about hearing tragic news about a friend of a friend that really made me stop and appreciate life.  I was brimming with gratitude and thankfulness for my own healthy and happy life.  I had no idea that 3 days later I would hear the earth shattering news that one of my dearest friends, L, has a brain tumor.  The first thing I did was call our friend A.

I have been friends with L & A for 17 years.  L & A, along with the boys who would become their husbands (and my husband) went to college together.  Since I met them all a few years after college I like to refer to myself as the newcomer in the group.  As three couples together we used to call ourselves "the six pack."  I've joked in posts before that L and her family are the largest collectors of my artwork.  She is a faithful reader of my blog and even commented on my "cliff" post just hours before she found herself being rushed to the hospital.

For an agonizing day all we knew was that L had a tumor but not what kind nor if it was treatable. A came to my house to wait for news and finally we learned that it was "the best kind of tumor you can have."  Operable and benign.  In less than a week L had two surgeries, the tumor was removed and she is now recovering at home.  I summarized it here in two or three short sentences with a happy ending, but for all involved, especially my dear friend L, it was the longest week in our lives. 

Life is a gift, every moment is a gift.  It can change in an instant.  L is the luckiest girl in the world. She had an army of friends and family sending positive thoughts, praying, bringing Red Vines and making sure she was never alone.  She had one of the best neurosurgeons in the country, a brand new state of the art hospital, the most amazing nurses (seriously...they were awesome!)

Hanging in L's dining room

A & I have been addicted to each other, with dozens of daily texts and phone calls, hugs and tears. We spent hours in the hospital with L every day (and night!)  The three of us are forever bonded now in a way we never imagined we would be.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, too.  I love my friends and am so fortunate to have them in my life.

Celebrating L's birthday in the hospital. She requested A's famous coconut cake

 

The three of us at a wedding over a decade ago.  Me, A & L.

 

Easter, 2012

 And oh yes, it was Thanksgiving last week!  I know I had A LOT to be thankful for. 
I hope you did, too.

 Sharing this with my friend at Paint Party Friday...because online friends are also a gift!