Goodbye to A Rose

Tonight I said goodbye to a friend. There were no tears, no sad faces, no dramatic gestures, just a hug and a few nice words.

But her departure will leave a big hole in my life and the lives of the other women in our playgroup.

When I met her, I was having a hard time in my life. My first son was nine months old and I was newly pregnant with my second son. I had hardly had time to get myself back together from giving birth, breastfeeding and adjusting to being back at work part time when I found out that I was pregnant again. We wanted to have another one quickly but it was still a surprise that it happened so quickly. My second pregnancy was difficult and I felt sick, tired or angry most of the time. I had also just moved into a new neighborhood and didn't know a soul.

Luckily, a friend of my husband's invited me to an afternoon playgroup during one of my days off. I remember walking in and feeling like the new kid in school, a little nervous and hesitant about my new surroundings.

I don't remember much about that first playgroup gathering but what I do remember is that one of the women in the group went out of her way to make me feel welcome and comfortable. This woman slowly became a friend and confidant.

For the next three years, she was one of the bright spots in my life. She pushed me to do a lot of fun and interesting things that I would not have done by myself (I'm a little bit of a homebody). Also, because of her, I met an incredible group of mothers that showed me how a group of women from different parts of the world with completely different life experiences could come together to form unique and beautiful friendships.

So I'd like to say thank you to her for all her support over the last three years and wish her lots of luck in her next adventure.

I will forever be indebted to you for all you have done for me and my children!

Goodbye my friend.