17 years ago today...

I met a girl. Yes, a girl. No, it was not Rush - although she was so brand new she was still on warranty {wink}. Rush was 2 days old and I was in my hospital bed recovering from the birth of my first child and the first c-section I would ever experience. I was 18 years old.

Through the door of my room, came a boy a couple years older than me, sitting in a wheel chair, scooting himself around.  Following him was an entourage of people, led by a tall, skinny girl with long blond hair pushing a baby in a hospital bassinet.  My first thought about this young gal, who was walking while I was still bed ridden, not allowed to move (they didn't want you moving for a day after a c-section back then - or at least not with me), was to call her a bad name under my breath because she was walking and I wasn't.

Funny thing was, I was not serious about it just being a catty young girl.  We shared a room, found out we had much in common and formed a maternity room bond that we pledged would never end.  I thought, at first, that the reality of the relationship would be that we would be all talk about it.  You know, call a couple of times, maybe have coffee once or twice and our lives would slowly drift apart as we lead our separate lives.

Little did I know that Aug 5, 1993 marked the beginning of a sisterhood and a bond that would be unbreakable over the years, the miles, the hurts, the struggles and the hardships of each of our lives.  We have seen each other through (and experienced each other's pain/joy with) divorce, death, abuse, heartbreaks, extreme poverty, single parenthood, first steps, first words, first days of school, first Christmas concerts, first teeth, weddings, miscarriages, births...

If I had a scanner I would totally dig up pictures of us with 90's hair and babies, walking all over town together, hanging out at the mall, being asked if our kids were "twins, brother/sister, cousins".

We have spent so much of our lives together it seems strange living our lives so far apart{two different provinces now}.  Her family became my family; I became their family.  She is my sister by choice.

So... happy 17th friendiversary. Love you, babe!