To the true friends I made in my 20s

A few years ago I felt stuck in a period of wanting. I craved community, female friendships without competition and, most of all, to stop feeling like the girl on the edge of every social circle.
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Whether it was my unlikely elementary school friendships with the popular girls (oh hey, stark contrast), or high school mean girl groups saying “you don’t get to sit here anymore”, or the long list of temporary bffs I had had that finally made me throw in the towel, I felt a lot like honest, strong and sure friendships just weren’t something I’d find.
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Twenty-somethings friendships have been so redeeming.
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I pray my daughter finds women who will stand alongside her like my women do. Who surround her with love and support when the world is too much, who will rally for her marriage, who value collaboration over comparison. I pray she finds women who sharpen her and whom she sharpens in return. Who are willing to work through the hard stuff and sit in the mire together.
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And I am thankful for the friendships that have built our little community, the beautiful babies my friends have made that become like adoptive babies to us: the legacy of friendship we share.
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It’s just real special and real redemptive. That prayer in my heart—for true, steady friendship—it’s been answered in a beautiful way.

This was previously published here.