I love my girlfriends. This morning I had the honour and the privilege of breakfasting with some of them. Each time I spend time with them I come home and reflect upon each of them. Each one has their own strengths, weaknesses, vivaciousness, solitude. Each one is different. Each one is beautiful. Through the passages I have travelled in my life, the twists, the turns, the ups and the downs, they have been there, marching or stumbling each step of the way with me. They have caught me when falling, praised, laughed and clapped when I needed it and kept me humble and grounded when appropriate. In each of them I have learnt, grown, and loved. I have had girlfriends come and go. I have had girlfriends stay, in for the long haul. I have had girlfriends arrive in drama and leave in drama taking their addictions, loves, children with them. Each and every one has enriched my life, drained my life, fed my life and stripped my life, and in all of them I have done the same. We have stood together, laughed together, hugged together and eaten together in our sisterhood. We have been blessed in our woman time. I have girlfriends who are easy. They bring a smile through the door, energy into the room, integrity and respect into each one of us. I have girlfriends who are not easy. They bring innuendos, doubt and insecurity into each of our daily lives. I have stayed within some of these friendships and I have moved beyond some of them. I have girlfriends who have a challenging point of view. They keep me steadied and grounded. I have girlfriends who manipulate and test. They exhaust me. I have girlfriends who come with flamboyance, vibrance and light up a room and I have those who take the energy out. There is room in all of us for all of this. I have been blessed with girlfriends integrity, safety, trust, honour and grace. I have been ripped apart with betrayal, deceit, jealousy and lies. In all, a very well rounded journey. I am no different. My shit spills over into their lives. My joy throws itself with gay abandon into their lives. We are one. We are two, three, four and five. We are the same. We have insecurities, vulnerabilities, excesses, strengths, weaknesses, forgiveness, adoration, anger, stuff and I look at my girlfriends and I love them. I love the lessons they teach me, the grace they accept me with, the laughter they share, the secrets they tell, the unconditional love I receive and the safe place they provide. Tonight I sit here and I give thanks for each and every one of you. The stories we write, the stories we share, the secrets we keep, the secrets we tell, the meals we cook, the meals we eat. The lives we share. Thank you. I love you.